The Man Behind Those Eyes
by jmalfoy
Summary: Sequel to 'The Heart Behind Those Eyes.' Five years after his supposed death, Draco returns to Hermione's life with a new name and face and meets a son he hardly knows. Will Hermione ever learn to love the man behind the façade? DracoHermione, HarryPansy.
1. One Step Closer

Okay, so I took a different approach to this story. I debated for a while whether to turn 'The Heart Behind Those Eyes' into a full-fledged story, but then it would ruin how I started things. Then I came up with this idea and named it similarly to the first part. This isn't a one-shot, I am turning it into a full length story.

Yes, I know you're probably thinking that I should finish my other stories before starting a new one, but hey, I either did this now or put this story on the back burner. So here it is and I hope you guys like it. You'll probably know where I'm going with it, but you should know that my stories can go unpredictably when you think you know what's gonna happen. So I'll leave you guys to it! This is it as far as author notes and disclaimers go in the beginning, all my author notes will be put at the end so that it won't disturb the flow of the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the Harry Potter characters used in this piece of fanfiction. They are sole property of J.K. Rowling and I am making no money off of them.

……………………………………………………

**The Man Behind Those Eyes**

……………………………………………………

**One Step Closer**

……………………………………………………

Pale gray eyes watched her as she twirled their four year old son in her arms. The child had grown healthy and beautiful in the amount of time he had been gone. Snow was falling all around them as Hermione chased Lysander through the snow and the boy shrieked with laughter.

Draco felt a surge of disappointment at the thought that both Hermione and Lysander had grown and he didn't know the type of people they were. The Hermione Granger he saw now was different. She was a grown woman now, a twenty-three year old woman.

Their son was a full little person who spoke and thought for himself now. They were two strangers and Draco wondered if his son knew that he, Draco Malfoy, was his father. Maybe Hermione had opted to keep his identity a secret from everyone.

Draco knew nothing of her; after his supposed death, Tonks had told him that he was to have no contact or knowledge of her or their son. He had been living in muggle France and Italy for the past four years, being that French and Italian were the only two languages he spoke fluently. He also spoke Portuguese, but he hadn't wanted to be too far away.

A few days ago, he had received a letter from the ministry telling him that he was being allowed the choice to reincorporate into Wizarding society once again if he wanted. His debt to society had been paid and the last of the death eaters had been captured. His first thoughts had been for Hermione and his son. He'd tied up the loose ends of the temporary life he had assumed and had moved back to London on the very first train. Very muggle, yes, but he had wanted the time to think things through.

Now he found himself sitting across the street from the park that was down the street from the home Hermione shared with Potter. From his seat at the café, he had a good view of them both. She looked happy. Both she and the boy, and Draco was beginning to ask himself whether he wanted to disturb their peace with his reappearance. Though he wished desperately to hold Hermione and hug his son for the first time, he wanted them to be happy.

Draco knew through Tonks, who had been there to receive him when he had returned, that Hermione hadn't been with any man seriously, so maybe there was still hope for him.

In all honesty, he was supposed to be dead. His cousin Tonks had told him that when they had taken Hermione away from the battle field nearly six years ago, he had been dead. But a very experienced healer had tried various methods to treat his wounds and had given mouth to mouth resuscitation to get him breathing again after his wounds had been closed. He hadn't been label a special case or anything, it was just that they were double checking and doing everything possible to save those from the light side.

He had been wearing a red band on his arm, being that before the war he had gone to some Aurors and told them that he would give up any information and would fight on their side. Naturally everyone had been suspicious, especially so close to the end of the war. But then Nymphadora Tonks had stepped in and helped him. After he had been brought back from the dead, literally, he had been taken to a secret hospital where he had been in a coma for nearly five months.

He had woken disoriented and alone. Tonks had arrived to see how he was and had then left him alone with some Aurors who had spoke to him and explained the conditions of his freedom, because, after all, he had participated with the death eaters on the attack on Hogwarts and had been an accomplice to Professor Dumbledore's murder. Thinking of the old headmaster always brought a dull ache to Draco's heart, so he always stopped himself from dwelling on him too long.

Then Tonks had come in to tell him of Hermione's current condition. She had known that he was the father without being told because Hermione had confided in her. To say the least, Draco had been shocked beyond belief. He had gotten her pregnant at eighteen and she had been left virtually alone. He honestly hadn't thought that she'd get pregnant after one time, but he had been proved wrong.

For the next couple of months, he had given the ministry as much information as possible of the remaining death eaters and who they were. He had only stayed in London for a year after his son's birth. Tonks had allowed him to see Hermione and their son that first and last time at the graveyard. After that, he had left for France and had assumed a muggle identity and job. He had learned how to fend for himself and gone was the spoiled rich-boy he had been, and a new man had risen.

Part of it was Hermione's doing. She had been the one to show him that he always had a choice. Life was all about choices and he was now faced with another. Walk back into Hermione's life, get to know a son he had seen only twice—or stay dead and buried and live his new life? Would she welcome him and give him a chance to be with her, or had she moved on from any sort of feeling she had felt for him?

So many questions and no bloody answers. Draco watched with growing agitation when a man approached her. He looked so familiar that he caught a growl rising from his throat. Cormac McLaggen. His family had been as rich as Draco's own, but they had been neutral when it came to the war and Voldemort. McLaggen was a well connected man.

Draco watched as Hermione smiled and kissed the man on the cheek. His hands unclenched and he smirked pleasantly when McLaggen spoke to Lysander and the boy ignored him. He could tell that Hermione was reprimanding the boy for his behavior. Draco paid for his coffee and walked out of the café, feeling smug when he noticed the waitress watching him as he left. He stood outside in the cold and watched his son build a crooked looking snowman. He wanted desperately to be a part of his and Hermione's life, but he would need to be sure that they would accept him.

He ran a hand through the short spikes of his now dark auburn hair. He wore a charmed silver ring that altered his appearance when he was in public. Once he removed it, he went back to his natural face and hair. Aside from changing hair color and style, he'd had to change facial structure and add color to his pale skin. The face he was now went by the name of Kyle Delaney, a rich, debonair man, owner of vineyards in France as well as Italy. His wines were magically aged and had become one of the top selling brands in Europe and North America. Though he wasn't lacking in wealth, he knew Hermione and Lysander would need more than just his money. Love and affection were two things his parents hadn't really taught him; maybe his mother had to some extent showed him her feelings, but he had no idea on what it took to raise a child and be a good man for Hermione.

He watched her as she hugged their son and began to walk off with him and McLaggen. Draco sighed heavily and walked the opposite way once Hermione and Lysander were out of view.

He would offer them the best of himself, but first, Hermione had to get to know the new Draco. The Draco he had become thanks to her. The Draco behind this façade.

……………………………

A fire lit in the hearth as soon as Hermione and Lysander entered their flat, covered in little flakes of snow and with pink cheeks. "Cormac, I told you that Harry doesn't want to work with your company. I don't understand why you keep insisting; you have enough fame on your own without Harry," Hermione said impatiently, helping Lysander take off his gloves and coat as they entered the flat she shared with Harry. "Are you hungry yet, baby?" she asked her son.

"Yes, mummy. May I have some pancakes and sausage?" asked Lysander.

"For lunch?" she asked with a raised brow.

The boy nodded and flipped open a brand new book of history written after the war and portraying Harry Potter's life. There was also a short story about Ron and another about her. It had quickly become Lysander's favorite and he loved to see the moving pictures of them and the uncle he had never known; Ron Weasley.

"Will you be staying for lunch?" she asked Cormac as he followed her into the kitchen.

He shook his head. "I have to get back to the office; I have a meeting with a potential client for our exporting companies. I just came here to see you and ask you to accompany me to dinner tomorrow. I want us to go to the opening of this new five star restaurant where the wine is supposed to be the best."

Hermione looked towards the living room where her son was and nodded uncertainly. "I just have to see if Harry wants to baby-sit for me," she said as she took out a pan and her ingredients.

"Did I hear something about babysitting?" asked Harry as he walked into the kitchen, carrying his giggling nephew in his arms. He spotted the other man and his smile wilted somewhat. "McLaggen," he greeted.

"Potter," Cormac replied.

Hermione watched the two men in her life and shook her head slightly as the testosterone levels began to rise. "Will you watch Lysander tomorrow evening?" she asked pointedly.

Harry nodded. "Sure. So long as you don't stay out all night," he said, eyes narrowed and on McLaggen.

"Deal," Hermione said quickly as she began to pour out the milk and pancake mix. She didn't want to stay away from Lysander and Harry for too long either. She felt that she still wasn't prepared to be intimate with another man.

"I have to go," said Cormac before pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'll pick you up at seven. Wear something elegant because the media is going to be there tomorrow. It wouldn't do me good if we looked shoddy in front of the entire society." He then saluted Harry and Lysander before leaving.

"I've told you a million times that I don't like him for you, Mione," Harry said, setting the child in a chair at the breakfast table.

Hermione waved her wand and left the pancakes making themselves, otherwise, if she made them herself, they would be a disaster and she would have to put up with Harry joking about it for the next week. Though she loved to see Harry laugh—which was a rare occurrence nowadays—she didn't want it to be at her own expense.

Life had by no means been easy on them. Harry helped her with her son as much as he could, but the fact of the matter was that he wasn't Lysander's father. Harry would soon find a woman that would capture his heart and he would start his own family. She was just afraid of how attached to him her son was and vice versa.

"Harry, he's really a great guy once you get past his ego," she replied to his comment with a grin.

"I don't like him either," Lysander put in from the table. Harry laughed smugly and walked over to give the boy a high-five.

"That's what I'm talking about. Thanks Sonny," he said, calling Lysander by the silly nickname he had given him after they had developed an obsession for the muggle movie _I Robot_. Every time Harry babysat for Hermione, he and Lysander pigged out on junk food as they watched the aforementioned movie, much to Hermione's chagrin, his only excuse was that the popcorn was made of natural ingredients and that they only ate things made of organic ingredients, including sugarless candy. She still didn't like it one bit.

Hermione rolled her eyes and poured a glass of milk into a sippy cup for the boy. "I need this Harry, you more thank anyone should know that it's not healthy to be alone," she said softly. "I just want to get to know Cormac better and I need you both to be nice to him. If you love me, you'll both be good."

Lysander looked at his uncle and shrugged his little shoulders. "He calls me little and I don't like it," he said as he started on his first pancake.

Hermione hid a smile. "Sweetheart, you're only four. You have to remember that you _are_ little. But you'll grow up soon enough. Both you and Harry," she said sternly. She approached her best friend, so that only he could hear her words. "You need to go on a date yourself. It's been nearly six years, and grieving for them will only hurt you. If you won't find someone for a normal date, I will find one for you," she said before walking out of the kitchen and towards her room.

Harry sat down across from Lysander and leaned forward. "You think I should find a girlfriend?" he asked the child.

Lysander shrugged. "You have to find someone and have kids so that they can play with me!" he replied innocently. "Mummy said she isn't ready for me to have brothers and sisters," he said sadly.

Harry's heart twitched when he realized that the boy wanted companionship from other children. It was a good thing then, that Hermione had just enrolled him in magical children's kindergarten. "I'm sure your mum will give you brothers and sisters in the future. All you have to do is be patient," said Harry quietly.

Lysander's smile was all Hermione's, but Harry couldn't help but notice that as the boy grew, he took after his father more and more. Lysander was lucky. Though he had been conceived in strained circumstances before the culmination of a war, he had been born into a new world with infinite opportunities.

The only obstacles Harry saw in his nephew's life and possibly his future were the sins of his parents past.

…………………………………

Granger was seeing McLaggen in a semi-serious relationship. Draco didn't know whether to feel angry or disappointed. He then reminded himself that to her, he was dead and she had no reason to remain single and celibate to a man she had only been with once.

He realized he was staring at her and averted his eyes before she caught him. She was waiting with their son to sign some papers and then leave him in the classroom at the preschool for Magical Children.

Up close, he could take in Lysander's features much better. He was a beautiful child. The shape of his face was like Hermione's, but his eyes, nose, and mouth were his. Lysander's dark brown hair was only slightly undulated but not wavy or curly, and his skin was less pale than Draco's.

Draco's eyes slid over Hermione once again and wondered how much nearly six years had changed her. A few days ago when she had seen her, she had been wearing a hat and it had been covering her hair.

Now he could see that the once unruly strands were straight and in layers. She looked different and he didn't know if he liked her hair that way. He had grown accustomed to seeing her wild hair bouncing with her every step. Now it was voluminous, but it took away from her wildness. Putting his peevishness aside, he noted that she was curvier than last he had seen her—when he had held her in his arms and they had conceived their son. She was undeniably beautiful.

He had spent the last four—nearly five years fantasizing about her, wondering what like would have been like for them had he not "died" at that battle field. His chest was scarred permanently, to a point where he had considered going to a muggle plastic surgeon to see if his skin could be fixed. But he hadn't done that. The scars on his chest served as a reminder of what he had been and what he had left behind. He had a new future ahead of him and all that was left of his past were his memories and his scars.

His cousin Tonks had handed over the Malfoy fortune back to him because she had been the last living relative of him and his family, though Draco had given her a hefty fortune that she could use however she wanted. Especially because she was a single mother too. Remus Lupin's daughter. Lupin had died in the war, right at the front of the battle and had left Tonks in much the same state as Hermione. That was why the two identified so well and had become fast friends.

That was how Draco found himself in the preschool where Hermione and his son were. He had accompanied his cousin as she dropped off Isadora Lupin Tonks on her first day of school. Tonks had told him that Remus had picked out that name for the baby when she had told him that she was pregnant. Though she had been barely a month into her pregnancy, Remus had wanted a baby girl

Draco sighed heavily and once again regretted ever taking the wrong side in such a brutal war. Hundreds were dead but the monster had been defeated. He noticed his son's excitement and smiled when Hermione walked him into the classroom; he now had the perfect excuse to see Hermione and Lysander up close without being caught spying and tagged a pervert.

His ears suddenly perked up at the sound of her voice that was nearly drowned out by all the little brats that were arriving. "Is it normal for me to feel the need to weep?" she asked Tonks.

"I think it is, being that I'm feeling much the same way," the other woman replied as they walked out of the classroom, childless and emotional.

"I thought Lysander would have kicked up a bigger fuss, but he's so happy to be with all those children," said Hermione as she glanced back at her son. Then she smiled. "Your little girl takes up a lot after her father," she commented.

Tonks grinned fondly. "She's my heart…… Your boy is grown into quite the handsome bloke," she said with a chuckle. "He has beautiful eyes."

Hermione nodded and sighed. He had Draco's eyes. Not just his eyes, his entire face. "He's a living, breathing reminder of his father. I thank god every day that I have him. He's what keeps me going," said Hermione quietly. "I have to get going. I was allowed to be a little late for work, but I have many things to do."

Tonks nodded in understanding. "I do too. How about you come over tonight for dinner?" she asked. "I have a cousin I want you to meet. I hadn't seen him in a long time and he came back a few days ago. He's very handsome too."

The brunette laughed and shook her head. "I can't tonight. I have a date with Cormac and he won't take me canceling lightly. Why don't we make plans for another night?"

"That sounds good," Tonks said, trying to think. Her eyes met Draco's and he nodded once, letting her know that he had all the time in the world to meet Hermione again. "How about this Saturday? You can spend the day with us and we'll take the kids to the park?"

"All right. I'll see you Saturday morning, we can have breakfast at a restaurant and I can meet this cousin of yours," Hermione said with a smile. They hugged each other and then Hermione left.

Tonks approached him and sighed. "She's getting serious with that McLaggen guy. I don't like him, Dr—I mean _Kyle_. There's this bad vibe I get from him every time he's around."

Draco ran a hand through his hair, missing the longer strands of his silken, pale hair. "I want to do things a different way, Tonks. I just can't show myself to her, she'll hate me."

"She'll hate you even more when she realizes that you had the chance to show yourself to her sooner and you didn't," Tonks said quietly. She smiled then. "Did you see your son?"

Draco nodded elatedly. "Good looking kid," he said smugly.

"Of course, he's yours and Hermione's, how could he not be?" Tonks asked with a giggle. She had never thought that Draco Malfoy would've become her friend. But he was and she was happy. They were the only family each other had. And besides, she was the only one who knew that he was really alive. "Come on, let's go before I start crying over my little girl and how she's all grown up."

"She's just four," said Draco with a smirk as they walked out of the school. "I think you're being a tad melodramatic. Besides, you still have to worry about her first date, her first boyfriend, her wedding, and then your first grandkid. So this is nothing."

Tonks laughed and shook her head. "You would be worrying too had Lysander been a girl. Lucky sod," she grumbled and Draco chuckled before they apparated away.

………………………………

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror and smiled slightly. For a plain girl during her childhood, she had grown into a nice looking woman. She was still shy about her looks, but she didn't deny them anymore.

Her long hair was in long, fake curls, held back by butterfly pins and trailing down her back. The midnight blue halter gown she was wearing did nothing to hide her curves and accentuated her pale skin. She was wearing tall heels given the fact that Cormac was an extremely tall man and she was of average height, but still much smaller than him. A girl had to keep up with her man.

_My man._ She wasn't really sure if she saw a future between them, but she had to see for herself. She was tired of being alone, of dwelling in the past. Draco was gone and he wasn't coming back, no matter how much she wanted him to. She was happy that she had his son to remind her of the man that had given his life for her.

"You look beautiful, and you always will," a male voice said from the doorway.

She stared at Harry's reflection and grinned. "You say that because you're my best friend. My brother."

Harry shook his head. "I'm also a guy and I can give you an honest 'guy' opinion. You're beautiful and I don't think any man can meet my standards for you Again I tell you that McLaggen isn't good enough for you. He's too egotistical and smug."

Hermione laughed. "Wasn't Draco also egotistical and smug too? Not to mention an evil bouncing ferret," she said fondly.

"Don't talk ill of the dead," said Harry quietly. "Especially Lysander's dear father, he may hear you." He chuckled softly.

"Who, Draco?"

"No you ditz, I meant Lysander. He's in the living room, playing with Periwinkle," Harry said with a snort.

Hermione grinned. "I knew who you were talking about. I was just teasing you," she said as she put on a gold necklace with a heart shaped locket on it. Inside were the pictures of her parents that she cherished more than her health.

"Hey, I forgot to tell you, a letter arrived about an hour ago from a notary," said Harry as he stepped into the room and handed it to her.

"What does it say?" Hermione asked as she put her wand into a handbag and grabbed a long white overcoat to go with her dress.

"I think you should read it yourself. It concerns Lysander," said Harry.

Hermione read it over and her eyes widened. "Tonks did this. I told her that I didn't want money that once belonged to Lucius Malfoy!"

"Hermione, the note says that it was a stipulation of the will Lucius left. To leave the majority of his fortune to the closest living relatives with Malfoy blood. Tonks was family, but not by blood. This money belongs to Lysander. You can take it and do what you wish with it, you don't have to keep it," said Harry. "Besides, I think it should be your son's decision once he is old enough to take possession of it."

"But—but I don't know yet if it want to tell Lysander who his father was!" Hermione said, her voice cracking.

"That's completely erroneous, not to mention foolish. If you don't tell him, then he will find out from somewhere else and it will sever his trust in you. You can't keep something like this from him," Harry said as he helped her into the coat.

Hermione nodded in agreement. "You're right. I'm going to have to tell Lysander soon. But that sum of money is ridiculous, and it's unbelievable that it's only a fraction of what the Malfoy's had!"

"You and I don't need money, but I'm serious when I say that this is Lysander's decision. Put the money into a trust fund or just keep it in a vault until he is old enough to know about it. You never know, you two may need it someday," he said as he sat next to his nephew and the blue cat in his lap.

Funny thing that happened with that cat, Harry mused. A few weeks ago, when Hermione had bought him the feline, Lysander had fed it a magical coloring potion along with a key ingredient in a sticking charm, it had been a non-toxic mix, but it resulted in a permanently blue furred cat. That was why they had named him Periwinkle.

The boy was in his mischievous years and Harry feared that it would only get worse as he grew. Nothing they tried worked in returning the cat into the ginger color it had been, and that showed Harry that Lysander's power in magic and potions was going to advance further than a normal magical child as he grew.

Green flames lit the hearth and out stepped a very stylish looking McLaggen. He smiled as his eyes fell on Hermione and out of manners—more than desire—greeted Lysander and Harry.

"Mummy, will you be back to read me my bedtime story?" asked Lysander as the cat hissed at the intruder.

Hermione smiled and nodded. "I will sweetheart. But if by any chance I don't, I promise I'll read you two stories tomorrow and tonight Uncle Harry will read you one."

"Kay, mummy," he said, scratching Periwinkle behind the ear.

"Be safe," Harry said before standing and kissing her on the temple.

She nodded and smiled brilliantly. "I'm a grown woman, Harry, but I will. And please, no junk food!" she said before kneeling and kissing Lysander's cheek. "You be good for Uncle Harry, okay?"

Lysander nodded. "I love you mummy."

Her eyes watered. "I love you too, baby." She stood and left with Cormac lest she break into tears over a simple goodbye from her son.

……………………………

"Smile love, the cameras love happy couples," Cormac said as he and Hermione arrived at the lobby of the newest and most luxurious wizarding restaurant opening in the heart of London.

The necessary precautions were being taken to keep it hidden from muggles and only the most known and famous names had been invited to attend. Hermione forced herself to smile even through Cormac's comment. Sometimes he could be so superficial. He took her hand and kissed it, but Hermione wondered if it was more for show than anything.

They spent a long while answering questions for the press and posing for pictures, but Hermione began to feel annoyed and tugged Cormac towards the maitre 'd. Even then, Cormac was speaking with the richest and most well connected people he could find. "I think that's the owner," he whispered to her.

Hermione nodded, not interested really in who was the owner of a place that screamed money. She was quite happy with dinning at the Three Broomsticks, there was no shame in eating in a small, humble place like that one.

"Cormac McLaggen, it's good to see you again," said Blaise Zabini. "It's been a long time."

"It has. I didn't know you were into restaurants as a business," said Cormac.

Zabini smiled pleasantly. "It's something I have wanted to do for a long time…… And who do we have here? Granger?"

She smiled. "Now Blaise, I think we're old enough to call each other by our first names," she said as he took her hand and kissed it.

"But of course, Hermione," he replied smoothly. He turned to the man beside him and waved a hand aristocratically. "This is a good friend, he just came back from the dead—oomph—I mean from France," he said as he rubbed his side where Draco's elbow had hit him. "His name is Kyle Delaney."

Hermione's eyes met his and Draco swore that he saw a flash of recognition from her as she paled slightly. He took her hand from Zabini, the ass. Yes, his old friend now knew that he was alive. Hanging around with Tonks was nice, but he needed male friends to keep his head from turning into mush. He watched Hermione as she shook her head once as if to clear the cobwebs and smiled a bit shakily.

"I feel like I've seen you before," Hermione said. "Your eyes—" she trailed off.

Draco blinked. Curses, he knew not changing his eye color would bite him in the ass. But he hadn't changed them because he had wanted to keep at least one thing of himself. "No. I think I would remember someone as stunning as you," he replied easily, also pressing a kiss to her hand, and letting his lips linger a little longer.

"Ahem, you are Kyle Delaney, the maker of that fine wine I have been hearing so much about? What is the mystery about it?" Cormac asked as he tugged on Hermione's hand and pulled it out of his grasp, with an agreeable smile on his face.

"A good glass of wine is like a beautiful woman," said Draco, his eyes on Hermione. "The longer you wait, the better it tastes. I kept it a mystery here because I wanted to share it on a specific date, when I decided to release it."

"A possessive and controlling man, are you Mr. Delaney?" Hermione asked.

"Very much," he replied with a smirk. "And please, call me Kyle."

Hermione felt that recognition again but shook it off as she nodded. He was right, she didn't know who he was; had never met him before in her life. Instead she smiled and nodded. Their little meeting was cut short when the maitre d' approached them and checked their names off from the list.

"Your table is ready," the elegant woman said.

"Thank you," Hermione said as Cormac excused them and pulled her along. She let her eyes linger on Kyle's but moved along with her date.

He held her chair out for her as she sat down and then sat himself. "What was that all about?" he asked her, eyes narrowed.

Hermione frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You were flirting with a man that you barely met," Cormac hissed.

"No I wasn't!" Hermione replied darkly. "You're acting jealous for no reason."

"I hope so, Hermione. You are _my_ girlfriend and I don't appreciate seeing you so at ease with a man that you met not five minutes ago," he snapped.

She glared at him but then her eyes strayed towards the entrance from the lobby when she spotted Zabini and that Kyle guy. There was just something about his eyes that threw her completely for a loop. They reminded her of…… Lysander's eyes… Draco's eyes. Hermione swallowed hard and looked at Cormac. He didn't know who Lysander's father was and Hermione knew that she had to tell him.

"Cormac," she said. He looked up from the wine card and gave her a questioning look. "Before we go any further, I think it's time for me to tell you who the father of Lysander is."

This grabbed his attention completely and he leaned towards her.

……………

Draco watched Hermione and McLaggen from his perch at the bar. The room was filled with people with money and beautiful women, but his eyes were only for Hermione. She looked to be telling McLaggen something important, judging by her expression and the grip McLaggen had on his cloth napkin.

He then said something to Hermione that made her rise from her seat and throw her napkin onto the table and storm towards the exit. Draco hadn't even been aware that he was moving towards her, but he caught up with her and gripped her elbow.

"Cormac, don't," she said furiously, turning to glare at him. Her expression changed when she saw who it was and her mouth dropped. She closed her mouth and an embarrassed flush covered her cheeks.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked.

Hermione sighed heavily. "I just had a row with my boyfriend. I would rather be at home with my son, anyway," she replied.

Draco nodded and had to force his hand from tugging her towards him and kissing her senseless. "You should stay and have a glass of wine before you go."

She smiled and shook her head. "Thank you, but I don't think so. My son is waiting for me to read him a bedtime story and I want to be there," she said.

Draco allowed his eyes to wander over every inch of her face. "Is—" he cleared his throat. "Is McLaggen a serious boyfriend?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "Why do you ask?"

"Because you are the single most beautiful woman I have ever seen and I would like to get to know you better," he said.

She looked at him with those bright, brown eyes and bit her lip nervously. "I don't think it would be proper for me to go out with you," she said as she placed a shaky hand over her neck. "Cormac is my _boyfriend_ and I don't want to betray him in any way." What she wasn't telling was that she had completely broken up with Cormac right now.

Draco took her hand and kissed her knuckles gently. "I hope to see you again soon. Give my regards to your son," he said quietly. "How old is he?"

Hermione smiled. "He's four and he's the light of my life," she said proudly.

Draco smiled and was amazed of the depth of her love for their son she showed just by the tone in her voice. "It has been an amazing experience to meet you. And if you ever decide to dump the bloke with the ego, contact me through Zabini," he said softly, removing the fragrant flower that was pinned to his expensive Italian suit jacket and handed it to her.

"Thank you," Hermione said with a smile as she brought it to her nose and sniffed delicately. "It was nice meeting you too and I'm sorry I couldn't sample your wine," she said before turning and walking out so that she could apparate home.

When she arrived, she was startled to find that everything was quiet and still. Hermione pulled off her heels and walked towards Lysander's bedroom. She quietly pushed the door open and peeked inside. The nightlight was on and revolving shapes of cats around the dark room.

She looked towards the bed and found her two boys. They were both tucked into the small bed, but Hermione suspected that it was a tad small for Harry. She decided to go change out of her gown and returned a short while later. She then cast a spell and enlarged the bed so that she could slip into the other side. Lysander let out a heavy sigh and turned his face towards her before settling into deep sleep again.

Cormac hadn't taken her son's paternity lightly. He had been angry that she hadn't told him and put off that the man had been Draco Malfoy. Cormac had shared a piece of information with her; something she hadn't known about him. His mother had been a casualty of the war and Lucius Malfoy had been the one responsible for her death. Cormac's anger stretched over to Lysander because Malfoy blood ran through his veins.

Of course she had been absolutely furious because her son was not at fault over whose blood ran in his little body, and neither was Draco for that matter. She had given Cormac a piece of her mind before leaving him there. She knew that a public humiliation would hurt him more than anything. She hadn't told him of what Draco had done for her those last days of the war, but if he thought that he could hold her son responsible over something he had no control over, he had no place in her life.

Hermione knew Harry would be angry enough to kill McLaggen for even thinking ill of Lysander, then he would be smug over the fact that he had told her that Cormac wasn't good for her, and good riddance that they were over. Hermione smiled and kissed the top of her baby's head, sighing heavily.

She wasn't ashamed that Draco was the father of her son, and as soon as he was old enough to understand, she would tell him who his father was. Suddenly her thoughts jumped from Draco to Kyle. So smooth and debonair. Her eyes began to droop closed as she hugged her son to her lulled by the sweet scent of his hair.

The last thought on her mind once again was that this Kyle Delaney had Draco's eyes.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

For a first chapter did you guys like it? I have made an outline of the things to come and they are even shocking to me. I hope you enjoyed it and that everything was to your liking. I hope to update 'Make Me ForgetHis Name' soon. Have a great weekend everyone!

Byebye

!Joey!


	2. Making Amends

Sorry for the long wait!

………………………………………………

**Making Amends**

………………………………………………

In the wee hours of the morning, Hermione opened her eyes and nearly regretted it when they almost crossed. Staring at her nose to nose, were a pair of dark gray eyes surrounded by nearly black lashes. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss Lysander's nose.

"Morning, mummy," he said, smiling and stretching.

"Good morning, love. Ready for a new day of school?" she asked.

Her son nodded. "I like school. I've made lots of friends!" he said excitedly.

Hermione felt Lysander's happiness in her heart; if he was happy then she was too. "Should we wake Uncle Harry?" Hermione asked with a grin.

Lysander nodded and turned to shake Harry awake. "Wake up Uncle Harry!" he said before standing up and jumping on the bed.

Harry was sleeping half off the bed and at Lysander's voice, rolled right off and hit the carpeted floor with a hard thump. Hermione and Lysander burst into peals of laughter as Harry stood and groggily scratched his head.

"What's the big idea?" he grumbled.

"Can you go to school with us today, Uncle Harry?" Lysander asked excitedly.

"Sure," Harry said. "But did you have to push me off the bed to wake me up?"

Lysander giggled. "We didn't push you!"

"You were already sleeping half off the bed," Hermione put in.

Harry chuckled and nodded in defeat. "How was your date last night?"

Hermione's mood changed drastically and she sat up, turning her back to him. "I don't want to talk about it in front of Sonny here," she said before standing and walking to Lysander's closet to pick out his clothes for the day.

"That bad, huh?" he asked as he followed her, noting vaguely that the bed was larger than it had been last night. They did that often, sleeping in a warm pile together. This small ritual had started a few months after Lysander had been born and happened frequently nowadays.

Both he and Hermione had needed the warmth of another person in the midst of their loneliness after the war. Hermione and Lysander had been his solace. Without them Harry reckoned he would've been lost.

"What happened?" he asked as he slid his arm around her shoulders, noticing that she looked gloomy.

Hermione let out a slow breath and looked at her brother, because he simply wasn't her best friend. Harry was her brother. "I told Cormac who Lysander's father was."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "And?" he asked in an eerily calm voice.

She bit her lip and stared at him. "He flipped out completely. He couldn't believe I had kept something so important from him. His problem with it all is that Lysander is Lucius Malfoy's grandson; therefore Malfoy blood runs through my son's veins. He was beyond angry." Hermione narrowed her eyes when she noticed that the paintings and photos on the wall were rattling. She was just surprised that he hadn't broken the windows of the entire flat in his anger.

"Don't do anything rash, Harry. I gave Cormac a piece of my mind and ended things on the spot," she said as she cupped Harry's cheek.

Lysander watched them from his bed as he petted his blue cat. "Mummy?"

Hermione turned to look at him. "Yes, love?"

"Why don't you and uncle Harry get married?" he asked.

She turned to look at Harry and both promptly erupted in laughter. The boy's comment serving as a distraction from what could have been an explosive argument. It took Hermione a few minutes to reply to her son's question.

"Because sweetie, Harry is my brother. Brothers and sisters don't get married."

The child nodded but still didn't grasp the entire idea. "Why?" he asked.

Hermione frowned. The dread "why" questions of children Lysander's age were now starting and she didn't know how she would handle it. "How about we start getting ready for school? We don't want to be late," she said slowly, ignoring Harry's snickering.

Lysander grinned and jumped off the bed excitedly, forgetting all about his question. He ran into the bathroom to wash his face and teeth while Harry and Hermione went to their respective rooms to shower and get ready.

…………………

That same evening, after tucking Lysander into bed and lecturing Harry over his lack of hygiene when it came to his closet, Hermione sat down at the kitchen table and sorted through her mail. She found a small parcel with her name written in elegant script and wondered who it was from.

She took out her wand and scanned the box carefully. Though there weren't any more death eaters left in freedom, she wasn't too convinced that Harry, her son, and herself were out of danger from Voldemort supporters. When the box turned up clean, she opened it carefully and was surprised to see a beautiful white box that looked as if it was holding jewelry.

She opened a small card that was on top and smiled when she saw who it was from. She read:

'_I took the liberty of sending you a small gift to make you feel better after the spat you had with McLaggen. And let me reiterate that meeting you has been the single best experience I have had in a very long time, no exaggeration. I hope you are well my beautiful lady, and until we can see each other again you will be on my mind._

_Kyle Delaney_

_P.S._

_When you take out your gift, place it on a flat surface where it will not fall. Goodbye.'_

Hermione smiled to herself as she looked inside the box and found another, a white box that was expensive in its packaging. She opened the box and found a small bottle of wine about three inches tall. She removed it and then placed it on the table. Almost instantaneously the miniature bottle sparkled and grew to its original size. Hermione examined it for a long moment, taking in the fancy brand name and the design of the bottle itself. She summoned a glass flask and popped the cork with her wand before she poured herself a small amount.

The taste was exquisite and it relaxed Hermione by slow degrees, making her eyelids feel heavy. With a tap of her wand, a scroll of parchment sprung out and she unfurled it, reading each name closely. It was a list of survivors of the war five years ago. Almost everyone had confirmed their attendance to the memorial that would take place in a few days time, and their names were glowing in red. There were about ten who would not come either because they were out of the country, or had refused to attend completely.

The memorial was being organized just in time for the fifth anniversary of the war where they would honor their fallen before and during the war. Harry had withdrawn from her the same way he had done the past years whenever this day had been approaching. He was quiet and somber and barely talked to her at all. But Hermione understood him. Harry had lost everyone he loved to the war, just as she had, but life moved on and those loved ones were remembered fondly.

Her thoughts took her to the last days of Draco's life, when he had saved her and their unborn son. There were so many things that had been left incomplete. She had fallen in love with a man who had saved her but she had never really gotten to know. As she took another sip of her wine, Hermione felt tears trail down her face; she hadn't even been aware that she had been crying.

Everyday it was her job to be a stronghold for her son and for Harry. They needed her, but there was only so much she could take. Harry didn't work, mostly because money was not an issue, but he didn't have the desire or the motivation for it either.

Harry spent his days visiting childhood places, spending his time at the cemetery where Ginny and Ron were buried, and Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that he spent a lot of time at Hogwarts. Not teaching—no, Harry would never become a professor—but just roaming the halls like one of the many ghosts that took home there. He needed help; help that only a woman could give him, not a sister like her, but a woman to suit his needs.

Hermione swiped at her tears with the back of her hand and stood. She couldn't really point fingers because she was just in the same situation as Harry. The only exception was that she had a part time job at one of the largest bookstores in the wizarding world, and she did it because she loved books so very much.

She had met Cormac again on her twenty-first birthday, when Lysander had been two years old and she had just gotten that job. His ego had just as big as when she had first met him at school, but he no longer spoke about himself every single minute. The things they had been through had made them grow up faster than normal.

When he had seen Lysander for the first time, he had assumed that Ron had been the father, but she had told him half of the truth, just withholding her son's paternity. She hadn't seen him much after that, but every time she did see him he showed interest in her. Hermione couldn't deny that she liked him, but she often wondered if he felt more than admiration for her involvement in the war.

Cormac had told her that he was attracted to her, but he gave no indication of wanting to take their relationship to the next level. Hermione sighed to herself as she crawled into bed and reached for her dreamless potion which was sitting on her nightstand. She wasn't interested on getting to the next level with anyone either.

She took a measured sip of her potion and then lay back in bed. She had been taking the potion every other day in order to stop the nightmares from keeping her up all night. She had tried to stop taking the potion a few times, but the dreams always returned and were of the worst sort imaginable.

She had dreamt of the people she had taken out in the name of justice, of her imprisonment time with Voldemort and his death eaters, and of those first moments when the war had begun. The worst of them were the ones when she was seeing her parents' death in the pensieve, hearing them scream in pain as their home burned down.

Hermione wiped her face as more tears came. She had to take that potion. Otherwise she would go mad. She sighed heavily. She needed to let go of her past and her pain. The only problem was that she didn't really know how to do it. There was no use in dwelling over the past. Her parents weren't coming back. Ron and Ginny weren't coming back. _Draco_ was never coming back. She needed to move on.

With another heavy sigh she closed her eyes and resolved that if Kyle Delaney asked her out again, she would accept.

…………………………………

The bell on the door jingled as it opened and Draco sat straighter when he spotted Hermione walk into the restaurant. He'd been waiting to see her up close again and every time that bell had jingled, his eyes had raced to the door to see if it was her.

Snow was still falling outside and he watched on as Hermione brushed off snow from their son's covered head and shoulders. She pulled off her own hat and looked around until she spotted Tonks' plum colored hair. Draco had a good view of her from where he was sitting, but he doubted she had seen him yet.

"You look like Rudolph the red nose reindeer," Hermione told Lysander as they approached the table.

The child grinned and touched his face with his gloved hand. "My nose is cold," said Lysander.

"We'll warm it up with some hot chocolate. Now look, there is auntie Tonks," she said with a smile. Lysander ran over and gave his aunt a big hug. "Good morning," Hermione said cheerily.

"Very good morning," said Draco, smirking when her eyes met his and widened. Her eyes darted to Tonks in confusion before she sat Lysander in a chair next to his little cousin and herself.

Tonks smiled and handed them the menus. "Hermione I would like you to meet my cousin. Kyle Delaney," she said, trying to swallow a laugh at the look on Hermione's face.

"He's your cousin?" she asked. "From what side of the family?"

Tonks smiled; Hermione's brain had always been two steps ahead from anyone else's. "He's been out of town for a couple of years. Now he's establishing his business here too. He's a cousin on my father's side, though it is strange that he inherited magical abilities," she said with a slight frown. Merlin, she hated having to lie to Hermione, but Draco had nearly pleaded for her to help him in his quest to make Hermione fall in love with him.

Draco took a sip of his juice and tried very hard not to look nervous as Hermione stared at him. He looked over at her and her eyes quickly darted to her menu. He looked at his son, who was also looking at him curiously and smiled.

"This must be the son I have heard so much about," he said in a polite tone. "What's your name?"

"Lysander. Pleased to meet you," said the boy, shaking Draco's hand.

Hermione smiled proudly at his manners and ran a hand through his hair.

"What is your name?" Lysander asked him.

Draco looked at Hermione before turning to his son. "I'm Kyle Delaney, and it's a pleasure to meet you too. I hear from my cousin here that you like to read and fly. I like those things too," he said. "I happen to have a really cool broom that I know you would like."

Lysander's eyes brightened. "Uncle Harry takes me flying with him sometimes, but he's been really sad this week. Mummy won't tell me why," the child said.

Draco raised his gaze to Hermione, who at the moment was looking very uncomfortable and refused to say anything.

"Why don't we just order breakfast and then we'll take the kids to the zoo?" Tonks asked, breaking the silence.

"It's snowing, Tonks," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"We'll take them to some other zoo, where it isn't snowing," she said as the children cheered and talked excitedly about all the animals they wanted to see.

Hermione just nodded and tried to avoid Kyle's gaze as much as she could. He was so unnerving; she didn't know whether it was his gaze or simply the fact that his eyes reminded her of Draco. The point was that he was making her nervous. Draco for his part couldn't stop looking at her the entire meal and then as they took the children to a zoo located in another part of the country completely were it wasn't raining or snowing.

As Tonks took the kids off to buy them a stuffed animal as a reminder of their trip, Draco treated Hermione to a cotton candy. "Thank you," said as they walked slowly towards the tiger exhibit.

"No problem," Draco said. He sighed and looked at her. "If you don't mind me asking, how have you managed to raise him on your own?"

Hermione looked at him closely and shrugged slightly. "It's been hard. I have tried my best to be a good mother to him, but I didn't have much help. Harry tries but he's not my son's father."

"Where is his father?" asked Draco in a whisper.

"He died during the war," Hermione replied hollowly.

"I'm sorry for bringing it up."

She shook her head. "It happened nearly five years ago. It's time for me to move on and stop dwelling in the past. Lysander, well he's my life but there are times when I don't even what I'm doing. My parents are gone, and the closest friend who raised her children to become wonderful adults has been sick for a long time. I have no one I can ask for advice."

"What about Tonks?" asked Draco.

"She helps all she can, but we're under the same circumstances. We're both learning to raise our kids as they grow. Sometimes I can't help but wonder if I'll be able to bring him up correctly when I don't even know what I'm doing," she admitted quietly.

Draco had to force down the urge to hug her and tell her the truth then and there. He couldn't. He needed a little more time. "I don't know much about parenting, myself, but I know in my gut that you will be a great mother, something you are right now. Your son will grow up and look back and he will appreciate all the love and dedication you gave him. All you have to do is love him and let him know that you will always be there for him," he told her seriously.

Hermione smiled genuinely. For some reason, his words made her think that what he said would all be true. "I hope you're right. What about you? Do you have any children? A wife? A girlfriend?" she asked nonchalantly.

Draco shook his head. "I am a free agent," he said with a chuckle, staring at her intently until she started to fidget under his gaze. He cleared his throat and smiled broadly when he saw his son, his cousin, and his little niece approach them.

"They grow up quickly, don't they?" Draco asked softly, remembering the first time he had ever laid eyes on his son at the cemetery. He had been a baby then. Now he was almost five years old and such a big kid. Independent was the word he was looking for.

"That they do," Hermione agreed, frowning slightly at the tone in his voice. That eerie feeling about this man was back again and this time Hermione didn't quash it down into the pile of her farfetched and exaggerated group of thoughts.

Maybe she wasn't imagining things. Maybe this was Draco under some spell or in some sort of disguise. She would have been able to even consider it had she not seen—felt—Draco die in her arms. That was the main reason she refused to believe that Draco could be alive. She had seen the last breath leave his body.

But there was another reason aside from that very important first one. She knew deep in her heart that she would never forgive him if he were alive and hadn't shown himself to her.

…………………………………

"Five years ago on this very day. A war was fought for the survival and safety of every person in this world as well as the muggle world. Family and friends were lost," Hermione took a deep breath and forced her voice to continue steady. "And though they are no longer with us, we conserve their memories and keep them in our hearts. That is why we are gathered here today, on the site where the last war was fought and won."

She fisted her hands in order to make them stop shaking. She had to continue. "Here we will honor those we lost with a memorial park where our children will play and learn the history of the ground they thread on. They will learn of the many people who gave their lives so that future generations could grow up safe and in a world that accepts change," she said, taking a deep breath, her eyes meeting Harry's. He gave her a nod of encouragement.

Hermione continued. "This memorial has been made possible through various donations from organizations as well as individuals who lost relatives on this very ground. To everyone who helped, on behalf of Harry Potter and myself, we thank you," she said before stepping away from the podium to the sound of thunderous applause so that a few select people could continue with their own speeches.

Harry had refused to speak in front of large crowd from the get go and Hermione hadn't pressed him. She had instead opted to say a few words on their behalf, which had resulted in the committee setting her up as the opener of the ceremony. Hermione could see Tonks sitting at the very front row with her cousin. Behind her stretched many rows of people which had fit inside of the magical tent.

Lysander and Isadora had stayed with a babysitter while she and Tonks attended the ceremony, but Hermione still worried for her son because he had been sad when she had left him behind. But he would understand soon enough.

Hermione crossed her legs and entwined her arm with Harry's, squeezing his hand in hers. "Okay?" she questioned softly.

Harry nodded and offered a small smile. "I'm okay. I couldn't have said those things better myself," he murmured.

"We're going to have to bring Lysander here one day. We'll show him Ron and Ginny's monument," she said.

That had been Harry's request just for getting him to attend. A personal memorial for Ron and Ginny Weasley, and the power he yielded in the wizarding world after the war was immense. The committee in charge of the memorial park had been more than happy to reply and accommodate his request.

Hermione on the other hand had done something just as meaningful but less obvious for Draco. There was a beautiful cherry tree with a silver plaque on its side standing across the field from Ginny and Ron's monument. The plaque had his facial profile and name engraved in a beautiful green calligraphy showing his name and birth to death dates.

She pushed her voluminous hair over her shoulder and looked up and over the faces that were watching her and Harry more than listening to what the other speakers were saying. She spotted Cormac towards the edge of the front second row. He was watching her thoughtfully but she was sorry to say that she wasn't interested. Hermione looked away and in the process met Kyle Delaney's eyes.

Draco for his part had been watching her from the moment she had arrived with Potter. The familiarity in which they moved and touched each other made him wonder. His sources hadn't said anything about the two being an item, but they were too comfortable with each other. He bit down hard on the side of his mouth and forced the feelings of jealousy down. He was being irrational without proof that there was anything going on between Hermione and Potter. So he continued to admire her.

Though she had worn the respectful colors of mourning, in a knee-length velvet skirt with a stretch turtle neck with a broad collar, she had included a wide red belt that circled a small waist. He had to admit that during their younger years she had had a nice body, especially for a teenage girl who hadn't cared much for her looks. But now, all he could think of was 'wow.' She had the body of a goddess. He couldn't not stare at her.

Draco winked at her and saw her look away before she started to talk to Potter again. His source had told him that she and McLaggen were over and done with. He had honestly felt relieved that they were over. But Draco knew McLaggen's type, and he knew that the other man wouldn't give up so easily until he got Hermione back.

When the ceremony was over, she stepped out of the tent with Potter and Draco decided to follow. "Miss Granger?" he called, going for politeness. She and Potter turned to look at him in question.

She smiled. "Please, call me Hermione. How can I help you Kyle?" she asked.

Harry looked from the stranger to Hermione. "I'll let you two speak. I'll be by Ron and Ginny's place," he said before he sized Draco up and then walked away without a word.

Hermione gave him an embarrassed smile. "I'm sorry about his impolite attitude. But he's my brother and he's suspicious of every man who speaks to me."

"It is good that he is so protective of you. That means that he watches over you constantly and can sense all the bad men who surround you," said Draco quietly. She smiled again and he was floored. She was so beautiful. "I know that it is highly inappropriate to do this now, but I was wondering if you would allow me to take you out for a cup of coffee tonight?"

Hermione had to stop to admire his suaveness. Had he asked her out for drinks, she would've shot him down immediately, but he had gone for a coffee date and she had to admit that she liked that. She also remembered that she had resolved not to shoot him down the next time he asked her out.

She shook her head. "Not tonight. I want to spend the day with my son and Harry. But… I'll take your offer tomorrow," she said as she spotted Cormac walking towards them.

Draco smiled charmingly and nodded. "Shall I pick you up then?"

"Yes, just let me give you my address," she said, her eyes on Cormac.

Draco turned to look at the other man. "I'll get it from Tonks," he said, taking her hand and kissing it gently. "Until tomorrow, beautiful lady."

Hermione watched him go with a slight smile on her face, a smile that vanished when Cormac reached her. "We need to talk," he said quietly.

She sighed. "I can't be with someone who still holds grudges about blood. What makes it worse is the fact that you insulted _my _child and I will never forget that. It's not his fault whose blood runs through his veins," she told him darkly.

"Look, I'm sorry for what I said about your son, but you must understand that it came as a shock to me to find out that _Draco Malfoy_ was the father of your kid!" he said in a pleading tone.

Hermione shook her head. "The things you said were hurtful. My son is my life and he is above everything. That is why you and I are over," she said as she turned to go.

Cormac grabbed her arm and turned her around. "Please Hermione, I'm sorry. Just give me another chance," he pleaded.

Hermione twisted her arm out of his grip. "I don't think so Cormac. You ruined the trust I had in you and it's not something that is so easily fixed. My son is my life. If you can't accept _us,_ you and I will never have a future. Be it as friends or something more," she said before walking away.

"My condolences," said Draco from behind Cormac.

McLaggen gave him an unfriendly look. "What business do you have with Hermione?" he asked.

"I don't think that's any of your business, but I'll humor you. I think she's an amazing person. She raised a child in the aftermath of a war, and she did it alone. Regardless of who sired the boy, he's a part of her that no one will ever erase. If you can't value her for what she it, who she is, then I'm sorry for you, but I will," Draco said seriously.

Cormac's gaze hardened. "You'll have to fight me for her then."

The Ex-Slytherin wanted to laugh in his face, but refrained. This wasn't the place or time for a fist fight. Instead he attacked with words. "I'll tell you now that I don't fight clean. I will do anything and everything to be with her and I won't care who I have to destroy to get what I want," Draco said with a smirk and a salute before he walked away.

Cormac growled to himself. There was no way in hell he was going to let some pretty boy take Hermione away from him. He didn't care what he had to do either.

……………………………

"Cornelius, have a seat. We have much to discuss."

The one time Minister of Magic sat down in front of the man who had held office after him but had lost his job after a few wrong decisions he had made. "Rufous, what can I help you with?" asked Fudge.

"I want to discuss Potter and the Granger girl. He still holds great power amongst the people and the Ministry. But there are many of our old acquaintances who do not like it," said Rufous.

Fudge swallowed nervously. "We can't hurt them. They're too public for us to attempt anything," he said.

The other man leaned back in his chair. "Accidents happen, Fudge. These children aren't untouchable. If the Wizengamot turns down our bill to charge these people for the murders they committed in the name of justice, I know of a few people who will make them pay."

Fudge's eyes were wide. "Who are you working for? Because I cannot believe that a personal vendetta will go so far."

Scrimgour sneered. "Potter cost me my place in the Ministry. Now he is going to pay and what better way than through his precious Hermione and her little bastard?"

"You would harm the child?" Fudge asked, looking sick.

"To extract my revenge will do _anything_. But before I plan anything against the Granger girl and her child, I want to find out who the father of the boy is. He had nothing of the Weasley characteristics, but he does in fact look a bit like Potter. I am curious as to whom sired the boy. If Potter is really the father, then this would put the icing on the cake," said Scrimgour.

Fudge nodded nervously and just wished fervently that this bill they were trying to pass wouldn't come back and bite them in the arse. He knew Potter and Granger were the most powerful and influential people in their society and if the dung hit the fan he would do anything to save his own behind. He wouldn't care who went down as long as he saved himself.

………………………………

Harry watched his little nephew from the park bench he was sitting on as the child climbed a tall slide and slid down over and over. Hermione had asked him to take care of Lysander for the rest of the afternoon because she needed to clean the flat and then get ready for some date she was going on.

He wondered who the guy was and hoped that this one turned out better than McLaggen, though he just knew that no man would ever be good enough for her. The sky was getting dark and he had heard on the TV that a snow storm was approaching, so he wouldn't be out for too long with Lysander.

"Uncle Harry! Look at how high I am!" Lysander called from the top of the tallest slide.

"Careful Sonny. I don't want you breaking an arm off! Your mum would have my head," he replied with a smile.

Lysander just nodded and moved on to the monkey bars and other playground toys. All the mother's with their kids were leaving, since it appeared that the temperature was dropping.

"Hey kid, we have to go!" Harry called.

"Five more minutes Uncle Harry, please?" Lysander asked as he ran over and clung to his leg.

"Yes, what's five more minutes Potter?" asked a snide voice from behind them.

Harry whirled around at the sound of the voice and thought that maybe he had finally lost his bloody mind. "Malfoy?" he nearly choked out. Malfoy was dead and this was an imposter or someone who was up to something. Harry pushed Lysander behind him. "Malfoy is dead. Who are you really?" he nearly snarled.

"It's me, Potter. I'm not dead," Draco stated dryly.

Harry shook his head incredulously. "Then why is there a grave with your name on it? How is that you died in the arms of my friend?"

Draco sighed in annoyance. Why couldn't the fool just believe him? "Send the boy away and I will tell you."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Lysander, go play for another five minutes and then we'll go. And remember, don't talk to strangers," he said sternly. The child nodded obediently and ran over to play, but he was still curious as to who that man was.

"I did die, but there was one healer who at the request of Tonks tried all he could to bring me back," Draco said. And it was the truth. Tonks had only told him this a few months ago. She had been the one to find his body as Hermione clung to him after his and Weasley's death.

"Prove it," Harry said suspiciously. He couldn't believe this. Malfoy was dead. There was no way that this could be the real Draco Malfoy.

Draco nodded. "That boy there is my son. He was conceived during Hermione's captivity, when the war hadn't yet started. She saved me from my father, from my foolish ideals. She showed me that I didn't have to follow in my father's footsteps."

Harry stared at him. "Where have you been all these years? Why are you back now?"

"Before I tell you anything, I need to request something of you," Draco said seriously.

"What makes you think that I would ever do anything for you, Malfoy? last I remember, you were the one responsible for Dumbledore's death, the one who healed Hermione so that she could be hurt even more. The one person who can still bring her to tears at the thought of your name on a tombstone. What makes you think that I will help you in any way possible?" Harry snarled.

Draco nearly flinched. Potter was absolutely right. "I want to make things right, Potter. You have to believe me. But Hermione can't know that I'm alive. That is all I am asking you. Do not tell her that I'm alive. At least not yet," he said.

Harry's expressive green eyes narrowed. "You're asking me to lie to the most important person in my life? Why would I do such a thing?"

"Because I need her to get to know the real me first. I can't just show up at her door and tell her that I have been alive all of this time. She doesn't know me and I don't know her. I don't even know if she wants to be with me. I need time, but in order to accomplish this I—I need… bloody hell, I need your help!"

"For how long? Lying to Hermione isn't something that I want to do."

"Just while Hermione and I get to know each other and while Lysander gets used to me. I need this Potter, I need you to help me with this. Please," he said softly.

Harry sighed heavily. "Fine. I will help you. I will do this for them, not for you. I don't trust you, Malfoy. And I never will until you prove to me that you have changed. But if you prove that you can make them happy, I will help you anyway I can," he said seriously.

Draco nodded and squashed down the urge to smile. "Thank you Potter. Just know that I don't use that word very often."

Harry nodded as well. "How are you planning on getting close to Hermione?" he asked as he looked over at his little nephew.

"We're going out on a date tonight. By the way, I'm Kyle Delaney," Draco said, holding out his hand.

Harry looked at it for a second and wondered if he was making the right choice by helping this man. Then an image of Hermione's sad eyes flashed in his mind and he made a choice that would change the course of her and Lysander's lives.

Harry Potter took Draco Malfoy's hand and shook it.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Yay! I finally updated! I can't believe that I am finally moving on. I must say that the reviews for the first chapter were amazing. Thank you everyone for showing interest in this fic and interest in having me update. I hope everyone enjoyed it and you like where I'm going with it. Up next is Draco's explanation to Harry as to where he has been and Hermione and Draco's date. There are so many things going on, could Lysander and Hermione be in danger from people they haven't even thought about?

I hope to update this soon and sorry about those typos and possible misspelled words. Let me know what you thought!

!Joey!


	3. A New Threat

………………………………

**A New Threat**

………………………………

Draco looked at his son from where he sat. He knew that he wouldn't be able to spend much time with him, since it had gotten decidedly colder from the moment he arrived. And even though he desperately wanted more time with the child, he wouldn't risk him getting sick. "Before I go, do you think I can talk to him?" he asked Potter. Though he knew that as his father, he had a right to just get to know his son without asking for permission, he didn't delude himself into thinking that he deserved to even speak to the child.

Harry nodded and called the boy over. "Hey, Sonny, this guy here wants to meet you, okay? He's an old… schoolmate of mine." He hadn't gone off his rocker enough to call Malfoy an old friend. Besides, with Lysander, it was best to be honest.

"Does mummy know him too?" asked the boy, looking at Draco with eyes near identical to his.

"No," Draco said with a half smirk; and that was truth. He took in the child up close once again, trying to memorize the small face and the easy smile. He had _his_ mother's smile. Though he could very well see the family resemblance, there was more chance of the boy being mistaken as Potter's child than his own. It was the brown hair, Draco deduced. All the Malfoy's had been born with the trademark white-blond hair except for this little one. Lucius must've been turning in his grave at the prospect of having a half-blood child in the family. All in all, Draco thought, it was a good change, the brown hair. "Can you tell me a little about the things you like? Do you like to fly? Read?"

Lysander nodded excitedly. "Uncle Harry takes me flying! And mummy buys me lots and lots of books. I like aminal books better than any others!" he said excitedly.

"Animals, kid. It's animals," Harry corrected with a smile.

"I'm Lysander, what's your name?" the little boy asked.

Draco looked at Potter and the man just shook his head, telling him that it would be a bad idea if he told the child his real name. "How about… you just call me _Apollo_?" he asked with a smirk.

"Modest much?" asked Harry with a roll of his eyes.

"Well, what else would you have me call myself?" asked Draco in irritation.

"I don't know… uh, something like… Larry?"

Draco wanted to smack the other man behind the head. "Then we'd be Harry and Larry, dimwit," he said impatiently. He started when Lysander giggled. "What's so funny?" he asked the boy.

"Mummy doesn't like those types of words," said Lysander, looking from his uncle to his new friend.

Draco merely smirked and nodded. "Then don't tell her I said that. Better yet, why don't we not tell mummy about me, okay? It'll be a surprise for her later on," he said in a cajoling tone. He didn't like the idea of manipulating his own son, but it had to be done in order for him to get through to Hermione.

"You mean like a gift?" asked the child.

Draco didn't miss the scoff that came from Potter, but he nodded once. "Yes. We'll give it to her on her next birthday. Deal?" he asked with a grin.

Lysander nodded and shook hands with him. "Okay. Mummy loves presents."

Harry looked at the time. "We have to get going. It's much too cold for Lysander to be out right now," he said to Malfoy.

Draco nodded and looked at his son once more, a little smile on his face as he took in the boy's pink cheeks and nose. "Take care and be good, alright?" Lysander nodded and Draco rubbed a thumb over the cold cheek. "It was so great meeting you," he murmured.

"You too! Bye Mister Apollo!" Lysander called as he and Harry made their way out of the park and down the street to their home.

Draco watched them go and stepped behind a large tree where no one was watching in order to apparate to his home. He sighed to himself and looked at the magical photo of Hermione and his son that his cousin Tonks had given to him just a few days before. He didn't know if he was going about it all the right way, but it was too late to back down now. He had met his son with his own face, and the boy had talked to him easily as well. He would make the most of the time he had with Hermione, and come her birthday, if she had managed to trust Kyle, he would reveal to her who he really was. All he needed was some time.

…………

A few days later, Harry found himself watching Hermione and Lysander on the night of her first date with Kyle Delaney. The boy was sitting on her bed with his blue cat, watching her as she finished getting ready. "How do I look, guys?" she asked with a small smile.

"Pretty!"

"Beautiful as always," said Harry with a half smile. "She's going out with Isadora's uncle. You remember him?" he asked Lysander.

The boy nodded and smiled, rubbing his cat behind his ears. "I like him better than that other guy," he said with a little shrug.

"Me too," Harry admitted, earning a surprised look from Hermione.

She was wearing a knee-length aqua-colored skirt with a warm, black cashmere turtleneck because of the weather. Along with them, she wore a pair of knee-high velvet boots, and her long hair was in stylish curls and she wore enough make-up to accentuate her eyes. She smiled and grabbed her coat when the doorbell rang. "Well, it's about time you two are finally on my side."

"It's about time you dated someone who was worth our time," said Harry as he hauled up his nephew and walked with her out of the room.

Hermione just shook her head. "Just know, Harry, that the next date planned has to be yours with any woman. Until then, I will refuse to go out with either Kyle or Cormac. So if you don't want me to end up an old maid, you have to find yourself a nice girl to at least get to know," she said as she opened the door and smiled when she saw her handsome date.

Draco for his part was in awe at how beautiful she looked. He handed over some white roses mixed in with lilacs and relished at how she smiled as she took in the wonderful scent. "I hope you liked them," he said easily.

Hermione nodded. "They're beautiful. Thank you," she said, motioning for him to follow her into the flat. "Just give me a moment to put these in water and then we can go," she said as she walked into the kitchen.

Potter looked at him and Draco could tell he was glaring, even with his back turned. "If looks could kill…" he muttered.

"You'd be dead, ten times over," Harry replied, setting down his nephew as the boy ran over to show Draco his cat.

"I had an accident with potions and I turned him blue," said Lysander.

Draco was surprised to hear that. "That's very interesting," he said, scratching the fur ball behind the ears. "I'm sure that when you get to Hogwarts, all the girls will be dying to see your blue cat," he said with an easy grin.

"Where are you taking mummy?" the boy asked.

"Now that's a surprise," he said quietly. "But what do you say if we all go to the park with aunty Tonks and your cousin Isadora this weekend?"

Lysander nodded and smiled brightly just as his mother walked back into the living room. "But in order for us to do that, you and uncle Harry need to behave like the big boys you are," she said with a grin.

Harry gave her a dry look and walked over to help her into her coat. "Quiet you, not in front of company. Now have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do," he murmured just enough for her to hear. He then placed a small kiss on her cheek and watched in amusement as Malfoy's—or Kyle's—eyes narrowed. "Take good care of her… Mr. Delaney. You have no idea how valuable this woman really is."

Draco looked from Potter to Hermione, who was lowered down to hug and kiss their son. "Maybe I do, Mr. Potter," was all he replied.

Hermione stood and looked at him. "Shall we go then?" she asked.

Draco nodded and opened the door for her. They both waved at Lysander and then walked out the door. "I hope you don't mind, but we'll be walking," he said to Hermione once they were outside.

She offered a smile and nodded. "That's fine with me. Now, where is it that we're going?" she asked as they walked down the street that had been shoveled free of snow.

"Well, I discovered a very nice coffee place near here. It's quiet and allows people privacy to talk if they wish to as they drink some very tasty coffee," he said as they walked and little snowflakes began to fall from the sky once more. "May I ask you a question?" At her nod, he smiled. "What do you do with your spare time?"

Hermione smiled. "Well, I work only part time for a bookstore, since I rather spend time with my son, but now that he's in school, I'm going to dedicate more time to this organization that I support. They support the children who lost parents and/or all their family during the war. They provide homes, clothing, books and scholarships for those old enough and who have been accepted into Hogwarts or any other school. There are just so many children that need help," she said with a far off look in her eyes.

Draco watched her as she spoke and admired her passion for helping others. He had realized that it had always been a weakness of hers to help those who couldn't help themselves. "You know… I have plenty of resources at my disposal to help. Would you mind if I joined you in raising funds for your organization?"

Hermione knew that he was probably using the organization as an excuse to be closer to her, and to show her that he didn't mind using the money he had for an important cause. Right now, the organization was running low on funds, and she didn't mind one bit if he helped. "That would be very generous of you," she commented as they stepped into a coffee house right in front of the park she and Harry usually took Lysander. They took a seat towards the back and ordered their coffees and scones. "How is Tonks doing?" she asked as she got comfortable.

"Very well, thank you. She… is usually sad when it starts to snow," Draco said thoughtfully. "I wish there was something I could do to erase that look of sadness in her eyes, but Isa does that for me," he said with a faint smile. He noticed the look in her eyes and frowned. "It's kind of like the look in _your _eyes," he said quietly.

Hermione tried for a smile. "I'm working on fixing that too," she said with a brighter smile. "At least I have my son, but he can't erase all the people we lost in the war. It's just that… I don't think a person can get over losing so many people they loved."

Draco hoped fervently that he was included in one of those people. "You helped save many people during the war. That should count as something," he murmured as the waitress brought over their order.

Hermione sighed and offered no comment. Then she shook her head. "There are a few people who don't think so. I suppose you've heard of the bill they are trying to pass?"

Draco nodded. He hadn't really worried about it, since he knew that people in the Wizarding world respected Hermione and Potter, but hearing her mention it now meant that _she_ was worried about it. "It won't pass. You have to have faith in the people you saved."

She smiled a little at his encouragement and really hoped that those people came through. Even the new minister was on their side, but there were members of the Wizengamot who were pushing for the bill. She looked up at Kyle and noticed the far off look in his eyes as he looked at his coffee. She didn't want to be paranoid, but his eyes were throwing her off. She couldn't help but compare them to Lysander's. But she supposed that she was being irrational in her suspicions. She needed to stop thinking about someone who was gone. "What school did you attend?" she asked abruptly.

Draco swallowed hard and nearly burned himself with the coffee. Why hadn't he thought about that question coming up before? He thought quick and came up with a very obvious answer. "Durmstrang. I had a chance to meet Viktor Krum before he graduated," he said with a small shrug.

Hermione smiled at the memories his name brought up. "Yeah. I met him too," she said absently. They talked for what seemed like the entire night, getting to know each other a little better. Hermione was intrigued by the man in front of her, but she realized that he couldn't be anything like Draco Malfoy, if only because he had grown up with muggles as family as well. Draco for his part was thinking quickly, trying not to twist his own stories and give his lies away. In truth, all that he had told her were lies, but he could admit to himself that he wished he could've been more like the man he was fabricating. Maybe then he would've met Hermione under different circumstances and they could've been living, happy, together with their son.

As they walked across the street and towards the playground that was deserted and only lit by a few light posts, the snow began to fall a little harder over them. Hermione took a seat on one of the swings and moved her feet a little, swaying back and fourth. "Did you lose anyone in the war?" she asked Draco as he took a seat on the steps that led up to the slide.

He nodded. "My parents. They… they died thanks to a death eater attack," he murmured. Hermione could clearly see that the subject bothered him, so she decided not to mention it again. "There are so many things that I wish I could go back and change."

Hermione understood what he meant. "Me too. There were so many things left unsaid," she whispered, thinking of Draco. She started when Kyle looked up at her and once more she was struck by something in his face. She stood abruptly and looked away from him. "Maybe we should be getting back. It's getting late and much colder."

Draco nodded and wondered what had gotten into her. She had just been talking to him as if they had been long time friends, but now she was reluctant to be alone with him for any longer. "As you wish," he murmured, walking with her back towards her flat. Her pace was much too quick, and he frowned to himself in thought. He stopped her just as they neared her home. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. "No… yes… no. Please just ignore me. I just want to get home to my son. I'm sorry to do this now. I've had a very pleasant evening," she said honestly.

"I understand, and there's no need for you to apologize," he said as he stood with her in front of the door to her flat. He also noticed that she wouldn't look him in the eye anymore, and he wondered if he had said anything to make her angry. "I know that tonight was about getting to know each other a little better. I would like to… take you on a real date, but only if you wish to."

Hermione tried to shake off her thoughts of Draco and thought about it for a moment. She _needed_ to move on. There was no use dwelling on a man she had hardly known, and who had died before they had even had a chance to develop any type of relationship. She preached to Harry that he needed to move on, but she hadn't done anything to help herself either. She looked into Kyle Delaney's eyes and nodded. "I would love that," she said with a shy smile.

Draco let out a relieved sigh and wished he could've kissed her, but he didn't want to push it. Instead, he moved forward and kissed her cheek, noting the way her eyes widened slightly. "I hope you have a good night," he said lightly.

Hermione blushed a little and nodded. "Thank you. I had a wonderful night, even if it was only coffee," she said, opening the door with her wand. It was easy enough for her, but safe. The locks, charms, and protections on her home only answered to her and Harry's magic. "Goodnight, Kyle," she said before shutting the door.

Draco stared after her and sighed to himself. The night could've gone better, but any progress he made with Hermione was good. She knew a little about him, and even though he had fabricated a fake life, he would've given anything to have really lived it. He hadn't been a muggle-hating bigot his entire life. But his father had hammered twisted beliefs into his head from an early age, and he had never dared to defy the man. Until Hermione had come along with her bushy hair, and her challenging eyes. She had always been in a league of her own, and he realized that that was why he had always picked on her. Because she was something new and exciting, and he had wanted to break her down. Now all he wanted was for her to see that he was honest in his feelings and that he wanted nothing more than to love her and thank her for saving his life. He would do anything in his power to make her see that he could make her happy.

………………

A few days after her coffee date, Hermione received an owl at her job that requested her presence at her son's school as soon as possible. She left in a hurry, worry cramping her gut that maybe something had happened to Lysander, though the letter hadn't mentioned anything about him being hurt. When she arrived through the floo, such had been her haste that her clothing was dustier than usual. She knocked the door to the classroom, but they let her know that Lysander was in the teachers lounge with the class aid.

When she entered the room, her heart nearly rose into her throat when she saw that her son was in tears. He looked up at her and ran into her arms, still crying a little. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked in worry.

"I killed them," he sobbed.

The aid patted his back and shook her head. "Please don't worry. It's nothing to be upset about, but Lysander didn't handle what he did, too well," she said lightly.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked in worry. "What did he kill?"

"Let me start out by explaining what happened. If you'll follow me, please?" she asked, opening the back door that led to the playground. Hermione did and waited to hear an explanation. When they stepped into the yard though, she didn't know what to think. The trees, flowers, and grass were dry and basically dead. It looked as if the playground had been abandoned months before. She looked to the aid and rubbed her son's back as he hiccupped a little. "Another boy, from an older class was teasing him about something. Lysander didn't rise to the bait… so the other boy pushed him into the melting snow. Your son didn't fight back, but… we suppose that his anger needed and outlet, and it came it in the form of his magic. All the plant life just wilted and began to… die," she said softly. "He hasn't stopped crying since, that's why we called you in. And don't worry, the other boy has been reprimanded for his behavior and the teacher has called his parents in for a conference."

"Oh, honey, it was an accident," Hermione said to him, hugging him tightly. "We can fix the flowers. Please stop crying," she nearly pleaded.

"I'm sorry, mummy," he said, hugging her back.

"It's okay, sweetie."

"The teachers know it was an accident," the aid said to him. "An accident is when you do something that you didn't mean to, and no one is angry at you," she said with a reassuring smile.

Hermione looked at her son and noticed that his nose and the skin around his eyes and eyebrows were red. "We'll get the flowers fixed, and it'll be prettier than before, okay?" she asked him. He nodded and hugged her again. She turned to the aid. "I will gladly pay for the damage," she said.

The aid smiled and nodded. "It's very strange for his power to manifest with such force. But I'm not surprised, knowing who his mother is."

"Thank you," Hermione said with a small smile. She didn't know why her son could display so much power either, but she didn't want it getting out. She wanted to protect her son from everything as long as possible, and if word got out, people would begin to question his paternity, and she didn't need that at the moment. Maybe now would be a good time to show him a few basic things he could do with his magic. "Would you mind if I take him home with me now?"

"No, go ahead. Let me just go get his things and I'll also let his teacher know that he's going home," she said before walking off.

"Are you okay, baby?" she asked the boy.

Lysander nodded and let out a shuddering breath. "I didn't mean to," he said.

Hermione nodded and kissed his forehead. "It's okay, Lysander. Everyone knows that you didn't mean to dry the flowers and grass. We're going to fix things, that's what mummy is here for," she told him seriously. She managed to pry a little smile from him, but she could tell that he was still feeling sad about the situation. When the aid returned with his coat, Hermione thanked her and took Lysander home. Harry was more than willing to cheer the boy up, and in a matter of minutes, her son was smiling and happy again. She really was surprised at how close Harry and Lysander were. But she was happy that her boy had him in his life now, when he needed a father the most.

After a tiring day of playing, watching movies, and general silliness, Harry and Lysander dropped right on the couch. It was close to midnight when Hermione took her son from Harry and tucked him into bed, thankful that he had already had his bath and was in a pair of warm pajamas. She sat on the edge of his bed for a long moment and watched him clutch at a stuffed cat in his sleep, Periwinkle curled up at his feet. She didn't know how to handle many situations where her son was concerned, and books could only tell her so much. She was afraid that she was somehow doing things wrong, but there was no one to turn to. Mrs. Weasley was far from okay. Hermione feared that one day soon she and Harry would get the news that she had passed on, and losing her would be just as bad as losing Ron and Ginny had been. She pressed a kiss to Lysander's forehead and turned on his nightlight before turning off the main light.

When she walked into the living room, she saw that Harry was wide awake, his green eyes staring blankly at the wall. "I have no motivation in life, Mione. I'm wasting away to nothing and I'm not happy with the direction my life is going."

Hermione sighed. She was usually offering advice and trying to cheer him up, but tonight she wasn't in a very cheerful mood. She sat on the edge of the sofa, much like she had done with Lysander, and kissed Harry's forehead. "_You_ have to find that motivation, Harry. No one else can do it for you," she murmured. "I love you. You're my brother, but there isn't much I can do for you. You know that I will always be here for you, but the rest is up to you."

Harry nodded and offered her a smile. "Don't worry about Lysander. I know you've been thinking about what happened today, and there's nothing you can do but help him control his magic. He's going to be a powerful one," he said with pride.

She nodded and stood. "Yeah. I'm just worried that he will be corrupted in some way."

"You'll do a great job of raising him. So far, you've done spectacularly. You can't doubt yourself because in the end, Lysander will look up to you for guidance," Harry said, pulling of his glasses and rubbing a hand over his eyes.

Hermione let out a long breath and nodded. "You need to find a woman to marry and kids to fuss over," she said with a smile. "I always imagined you having four or five kids. A big family," she said lightly.

Harry nodded. "And they all would've had red hair," he said, his eyes sad. "I'll try, Mione. I can't promise you anything, but I will try to move on. Listen, I know how you are about school and stuff, but do you think that you can maybe let Lysander spend all day tomorrow with me?" he asked.

She gave him a flat look. "If you know how I am, why do you even ask?"

"It's worth a try. Besides, didn't you say the garden at his school will be fixed tomorrow? He can be surprised the day after tomorrow when he goes back to school," Harry offered.

Hermione let out a sigh and nodded. "Fine. Take him out, but you have to promise me that you will meet single girls," she said with a smirk.

"I can't guarantee that!" Harry called as he walked into his room and shut the door.

Hermione allowed herself a smile and used her wand to clean the living room up quickly. She usually did it by hand, but she was indescribably tired after the tiring day she had had. Though there were times when she felt helpless and even she didn't know what to do with her life, all she had to do was think about her son. He needed her and there was no one else in the world that would ever take care of her son the way she and Harry did. She needed to be strong for him. She would move on and raise him to be a good person and she would do her best to protect him from anything and everything.

…………

"Hey, Sonny, how about we get you some Quidditch robes so that we can go flying next time?" Harry asked his nephew as they perused the Quidditch supply store.

"Can I get my own broom?" Lysander asked as they looked at the kiddy sized brooms.

"I don't know if your mum would want you to have one just yet. Why don't we ask her when we get home, and then I'll make it one of your Christmas gifts?" Harry asked.

"Yay! I love Christmas!" the boy said happily.

Harry grinned and turned to look at the snitches of various colors and components. He was particularly interested in a shiny red one. When he looked up to ask Lysander what he thought of it, he realized that his nephew wasn't there. He looked around quickly, calling for him, but there was no answer. "Sonny? Where are you? If you're hiding, it isn't very nice," he said in his best stern voice, trying to hide his worry. He ran up to the shop keeper and asked if he had seen the child, but the man shook his head and Harry felt panic begin to settle in.

No, he couldn't lose the boy. Hermione would kill him, and then he would kill himself. Harry grimaced to himself and realized he wasn't making any sense. He raced out the door and looked from one side of the street to the other. He nearly cried in relief when he saw the boy standing in front of the shop that sold owls, rats, and cats. He was holding the hand of a woman with long, black hair, and curious, familiar eyes. Harry raced over and took Lysander in his arms, giving him a squeeze.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked, a little breathless.

"There was a man and he told me to come get a letter with him," Lysander said to him.

"What?" Harry asked with a frown. "What did he look like?"

Lysander shrugged. "He was tall. I don't know who he was," he said, not looking afraid at all.

"Sonny, you can't just leave the story like that, no matter who tells you to go with him. Do you have any idea what could've happened to you? They could've taken you and… and…" Harry didn't know what else to say to him.

"They could've put you in a box with lots and lots of snakes," said the witch that had been holding his hand.

Lysander looked disgusted at the thought of being looked in a box with icky snakes. "Nasty," he muttered.

Harry turned to the woman and started when he recognized her. "Pansy?"

"In the flesh," she said with a little smirk. "Who is this child? He looks so very familiar," she commented.

"What was he doing out here with you?" Harry asked instead.

Pansy shrugged. "He was standing in the middle of the street. I took him aside and asked him what he was doing alone. He said his uncle was looking at some brooms and I was about to take him to the Quidditch store when you barged out."

Harry had to stop and admire that she had certainly grown from the last time he had seen her, but that wasn't the important matter at the moment. "Well, thank you for stopping to see if he was alright," he said quickly.

"You're very welcome," Pansy replied with an easy smile. Potter certainly had grown up into a handsome man, she mused. "Is he your son?"

Harry shook his head and set Lysander back on the ground when he realized that he had still been clutching at him. "He's my nephew. He's Hermione's son," he said, making sure to check Lysander for any injuries. He stopped when he realized something. "Hey, Sonny, you said that this guy wanted to give you a letter?" The child nodded. "Do you have it now?"

"Yes. Here in my pocket," said Lysander, pulling out the crumpled piece of parchment. "He said it was for you and mummy."

Harry took the parchment from his nephew and opened it, not knowing what to expect. What he read made his blood run cold in his veins.

'_The Bill will pass, and you and Miss Granger will pay for the murders you committed in the name of justice. Keep a close eye on the boy. It was all too easy to get our hands on him.'_

He looked at Lysander and felt his heart squeeze in his chest when the boy smiled. No one would hurt him or Hermione. He'd kill anyone who tried.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Okay, first off, let me start my apologizing to everyone for neglecting this fic, or those of you still hanging around—crickets chirp, taps microphone twice—um, hello? No, I'm just kidding. I must tell you that in the beginning I was completely inspired with this one, but then _"I Can't Hate You Anymore," _started eating my brain more and more, and this work just got left behind. Once I was close to completing the aforementioned fic, I had discovered Final Fantasy VII and am still totally in love with that universe. That is why I will let you guys know now that updates will be slow, but hopefully not a year apart, sorry about that as well. There wasn't much Hermione/Draco here, but in the next chapter, there will be, so don't get impatient my peeps. I hope this chapter was satisfactory, though it will get better in a few more chapters. Hehe, I picked Apollo because he was the god of the sun, and made the connection between the sun and Draco's hair, even though he's paler than anything, you get what I was trying to do, right? I know it wasn't too long, but I'm trying to get a feel for it still, so bear with me, kids!

Now, I'm finding my inspiration little by little and you can thank Marmalade Fever and Kyra4 for that. Those two girls are such talented and amazing writers; they've rekindled my love for DracoHermione. Anyway, I'd like to thank those of you who reviewed the last chapter months and months ago, and those of you who did so recently. I went through all the reviews for this story and also drew inspiration from there. You don't have any idea how nice it is to see that people like your story so much, so thank you. I just hope I haven't lost readers because of how long I took to get back to this baby. But like I said, I can't promise that updates will be quick, just that I will try as much as I can to get this fic working again.

Oh, and before I go, I'd like to point out that the idea of the Ministry passing a bill against those who took the law into their own hands, wasn't mine. I want to give the author who wrote about it first credit, but I can't seem to find the fic I read it in. it was almost years ago that I read it, and all I can remember is that the word Lion is in the title, and that Blaise and Hermione and roommates, and that makes Draco jealous and kind of stalkerish. If anyone knows which fic I'm talking about, please let me know? I don't want to take credit for an idea that wasn't mine, but seriously, this fic is like hiding from me or something. Anyway, thanks a bunch if you help me with this. Also, for those of you who have PM'd me and I haven't answered, my sincerest apologies. I do try my best to get replies out, but I don't always have a lot of time. Just don't think that I don't appreciate your words, because I do and very much.

Thanks for hanging with me if you come back and I hope everyone has a great week!

Joey


	4. Dilemma

………………………………

**Dilemma**

………………………………

"Is something the matter?" Pansy asked Harry as he crammed the parchment into his pocket and picked up his nephew.

Harry shook his head. "No. Nothing is wrong, but I think we need to get going," he said to Lysander. He needed to tell Hermione what had happened as soon as possible and he would more than likely end up losing a limb because he had stopped watching Lysander for even a minute. Hermione never got tired of stressing that point at him whenever he wanted to take his nephew out in the public.

Pansy frowned when she realized that she was being blown off. "Listen, why don't the two of you join me for lunch? I bet this little guy is hungry," she said with a smile.

Lysander looked at Harry and nodded. "I'm hungry, uncle Harry," he said happily.

"It's just that I need to talk to Hermione urgently. Maybe some other day—"

"Please uncle Harry?" Lysander asked with a little pout.

How could he say no to that pout? Harry let out a sigh and nodded. "Okay, kid. We'll go get lunch with the nice lady," he said, smiling a little. He had never thought that he would associate the word nice with Pansy Parkinson. As they walked in companionable silence towards a nearby Italian restaurant, Lysander chattered aimlessly about his favorite books to Pansy.

"Would you mind me asking who his father is? Not out of gossip, but… he just seems so familiar," said Pansy as they took a seat at a private booth and looked through their menus.

Harry cleared his throat. "We prefer not to talk about that. It's Hermione's wish," he replied.

Pansy nodded but was still intrigued. If Weasley had been the father of the boy, she reckoned that Harry Potter wouldn't have hesitated to tell her, but she was very interested now, if they didn't want to talk about it. Maybe the boy was Potter's and they didn't want the public to know for his safety. She realized that she was too interested in who the boy was, but she was more interested to know what the hero of their world had been doing with himself for the last few years. She had heard very little from him in the media. "Fine. Let's talk about you," she said with a cajoling smile. "Where have you been all of this time?"

What could he tell her that didn't result in him looking like a jobless bum? Well, nothing really. He went for the truth and hadn't anticipated the embarrassment. "I have been laying low, just taking care of Lysander while Hermione participates with an association that helps children orphaned by the war. I don't mind spending my time with him," Harry said, eyes straying to the boy, who was enjoying a breadstick.

Pansy followed his eyes and found herself smiling. For Granger spawn, the boy was an absolute sweetheart. As they ate their lunch and made small talk, Pansy found her eyes straying to Potter and how attentive he was with the boy. They behaved like father and son, but she supposed that it was to be expected if the child didn't have his real father in his life. But it took her back to the million galleon question, was Harry Potter really the father and they were keeping the knowledge from the public? If that was the case, then that meant that there was something going on between him and Granger, and it was best if she left things alone, but… "I would like to see you again," she said, a small smile on her face. "You know… without the little one around. He's a sweetheart, but you would need all your attentions free from him."

Harry looked at her with wide eyes. "You mean… as in a date?"

Pansy nodded. "Yes. Unless there's a reason why you can't."

"Uh, no! I mean, I would be flattered actually. I just… I don't think I'm the best company for anyone at the moment," he muttered.

"Oh, nonsense. I had a splendid time with the both of you today, why won't it be the same with only you? I want to put aside all of the animosity that defined us in school. Don't you?"

"… I would like that too. I just don't know if it can happen any time soon," he found himself muttering.

"As long as you don't wait months and months to ask me out, I will wait if you need time," Pansy said, tone inviting.

Harry tried very hard not to blush and looked at his nephew, remembering what he had been trying to do before Pansy had gotten ahold of them and asked them to lunch. "I think we should get going."

Pansy nodded and reached for her purse, but Harry gave her a scandalized look. "Well, I was the one who invited you two to lunch, right?" she asked, wrinkling her nose at the boy, who giggled.

"But it wouldn't feel right. I'll take care of this one," he said, paying and picking up Lysander. They walked out together and Harry felt his face flush when Pansy pressed a kiss to his and Lysander's cheeks.

"I had a very nice afternoon," she said honestly. "And it was nice meeting you, Lysander. Be safe, okay? Don't talk to any strangers. Not everyone wants to be your friend."

"Okay," the boy replied. He really did like uncle Harry's new friend.

"See you around, _Harry,_ owl me when you're up to going out,_" _Pansy said with a wink before walking away.

"Are you going to marry her, uncle Harry?" asked Lysander.

"Quiet you," said Harry walking off towards their home. "Regardless of what you and your mother say, I don't need a wife nagging my lack of job and motivation," he muttered. He didn't know what to think about this new Pansy. Last he remembered of her, she had been a crying mess at school, and he hadn't known why. Hadn't cared why. Then he, Ron, and Hermione had left and all hell had broken loose. Maybe Hermione _was _right and he needed to take a chance with someone else. He was still a little wary of an ex-slytherin, but he couldn't deny that she had grown out of her rounded features from school. He would think about it, at the moment, he had a certain sister to talk to.

……………

"What?!"

"I know, Mione. I'm so sorry. I just turned my back for a moment and he was gone. I know it's my fault, and I accept it, but I'm getting the vibe that this man was waiting for the opportunity to lure Lysander out. This is someone who is having us watched when we leave our home," said Harry in worry.

Hermione felt her hands shake a little at the thought that someone had had the chance to hurt her son. She would bring down the heavens if something happened to that child. "I won't blame you Harry, but I'm afraid now. I know I shouldn't be paranoid about all this, but now I won't want my son to leave the house!"

"We can't deprive him of freedom Hermione. We've both seen how happy he is at school, and he loves visiting you at the bookstore," said Harry. "Besides, you'd have to thank Pansy for catching him outside. She took him aside and asked him who he was and where his parents were."

"Harry, what if she had something to do with it?" Hermione asked, pacing their living room.

Harry didn't think so, and he wasn't defending her, it was just that Lysander had been approached by a man. "She could've taken him, Mione, but Lysander said that it was a big man who had talked to him."

Hermione let out a breath and nodded. "I'm going to fit some type of pin with a charm on it that will alert us when Lysander is approached by a stranger or someone who means him harm. It won't react to you or me, Tonks, or his friends and teachers."

"What about this Kyle guy? He's Tonks cousin, isn't he?"

The brunette felt her cheeks color a little at the mention of him. "Yes, I think he would be included."

"Since he's coming around more often now?" asked Harry with a smirk.

Hermione shifted and her blush became more pronounced. "Stop it, Harry. What is this about you and Lysander going to lunch with Pansy?"

"Well… she asked me out too," he said, looking away from his friend's astonished stare. "Don't look at me that way! She was very civil. Besides, didn't you want me to go find a woman to date?"

"Yes! But… I don't know if Pansy Parkinson would be the best person to start dating with after five years," said Hermione, searching their drawers for anything that she could turn into the sensors for Lysander's clothes and toys. Then she thought better of it. "Come with me and help me turn one button of each of his clothes into a sensor."

Harry nodded. "What are we going to do about this whole Crime Bill situation?" he asked, worry cramping in his gut.

"Wait it out. We can't do anything until we know for sure if the bill will be passed. There are many members of the Wizengamot who will not vote in favor of it. In the meantime, we take care of Lysander and try to find who ever it is that wants this Bill passed. This was a threat to my son and to us, we need to find out who is behind it in order to report it to the ministry. I don't think they will take it quite serious if we don't show them more proof, or at least give them a name," said Hermione as she smiled at her son—who was drawing and coloring in his room—before stepping into his closet.

Harry let out a sigh. "How do you propose we catch this person?"

"You're Harry Potter, aren't you?"

"Last I remember, yes," he muttered in confusion.

"We use your influence to find leads on who wants this bill to be passed the most. There we will most likely find an answer. These people will learn that threatening my son was not the wisest thing to do," she said with quiet conviction.

…………

A few weeks later, after making sure to talk to the teacher about who approached her son and being especially watchful of the people who came and went in the school, all their leads had turned out to be dead ends. She wasn't one to lose hope though, and she was certain that sooner or later they would find the person who wanted the Bill passed the most. That day, that person would find that she was a dangerous person to threaten. She hadn't done things she was proud of during the war, but she certainly would do them again to protect her son.

"Mione, there's was an owl here for us. Brought letters for us both," said Harry, walking into her small study and handing her a black envelope that had her name written in a beautiful, silver script.

Hermione took it and opened it with her wand. Inside was a beautiful and creative invitation of the same colors and for a fundraiser for… "This is a fundraiser for my organization!" she said with a gasp.

"Did you see who is sponsoring it?" Harry asked with a smirk.

His friend looked towards the foot of the invitation and found in small letters Kyle Delaney's name. She smiled to herself and noticed that there was another note in the envelope, one in Kyle's writing. She read it and couldn't hold back the little skip her heart made. "He wants me to be his date for the party."

Harry rolled his eyes to himself. "I guess I'm going alone to this thing. Have you seen that it's a fifty galleon a plate thing? Wow, the orphans will have a good year," he said with a smile. "So… are you going to accept his invitation to go with him?"

"I will if you find yourself a date too. Why not take the opportunity to go with Pansy?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Harry didn't know what to say. Though he did feel guilty that he was lying to Hermione about Malfoy being another man to her, he had seen the little smile on her face at the thought of him. If Malfoy was truly being himself, even with another face, then it helped ease the guilt a little. Her being happy and moving on from a dark past was good, he just didn't know if he was prepared to let go of his own past as well. He sighed and shook his head. "I can't, Hermione, at least not yet. I need to do this on my own. I know you're trying to make things better for me, but you can't force me to start dating other women when I'm not ready. When the time comes, I'll let you know," he said, patting her shoulder.

Hermione gave him a small smile and nodded. "Okay. I promise to leave it alone. I'm just worried about you."

"I know," said Harry. "Just worry about yourself for once. You need it just as much as I do," he said before walking off to his room.

The brunette witch watched him go and turned to the research she was doing on some ancient spells of protection. She grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and decided to write her response to Kyle. She was nervous. It was like starting to date all over again, but she was willing to let down her guard a tiny bit for the moment.

………………

Draco had to admit that he had been pleasantly surprised to receive Hermione's reply that yes she would like to be his date for the evening. He had been hoping that she wouldn't turn him down, and though he knew that hope was not always associated with a Slytherin, he was a different man now, regardless of the new face. He would just be sure to make the most of the night, and for that, inviting McLaggen had been a key piece to his plan. Let the other man see what he had missed out on.

He found himself standing in front of Hermione's door and knocking. He knew he looked good in a dressy suit. After all, he had to show her that he had a _muggle _side to him as well. Potter opened the door, looking just as dressy as he, and they shared a long, measuring look. "You take care of her," he muttered, opening the door wider for Draco to walk in.

"With my life," Draco replied.

"You did it once, I guess you can do it again," said Harry, noting that Lysander had run over to greet _Kyle_.

"Hello, Mr. Kyle!" said Lysander.

"Hello there, little friend. How are you doing today?" asked Draco, his heart a little lighter as he gazed at his son once more. What he wouldn't give to be able to see him every single day.

"I thought you didn't like being called little," said Hermione, stepping into the living room.

"I like Mr. Kyle. That other guy was mean," said Lysander.

Harry held back a smirk and gave Hermione an I-told-you-so look. She merely rolled her eyes and pressed a kiss to her son's cheek. "I'll go drop Sonny off with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. I think having Lysander around makes her feel a little better," he said as they went for the floo.

"Tell them I send my love. We'll see you at the fundraiser?" Hermione asked, handing her son his blanket and his favorite stuffed animal. "Behave for Arthur and Molly, okay love?" she asked Lysander as he waved and nodded.

"Bye Mr. Kyle!" Lysander called.

"See you, kiddo," he replied before Potter and the boy disappeared. Draco turned back to Hermione and finally noticed what she was wearing. He tried to stop himself, but his eyes roamed every inch of her as best he could within seconds. She was beautiful. He realized that she always had been, but it had taken him years to see it. He remembered quite clearly that he had seen her and her strength as true beauty while he had tended to her wounds and healed her years ago. Hermione looked at him and gave him a shy smile. "You look beautiful," he murmured.

Hermione took him in as well. "You don't look so bad yourself," she said lightly, watching him smirk. He looked handsome in all black, reminiscent of another male who had favored black. But Draco had been a boy, not a man just yet. She sighed to herself and averted her eyes, lest Kyle see the momentary pain in them.

"Shall we go?" he asked her, noting that she wouldn't look him in the eye anymore. She nodded and grabbed her coat, smiling when he took it from her and helped her into it. He had to keep admiring the way she looked. She was no longer the bushy-haired know-it-all that had worn robes to loose to be attractive. No, she was a woman now, with the body of one, and impeccable style. She was in a one-shoulder gown styled like a green toga, but hugging all the right places. The material flowed down from her hips, and the heels she was in put her almost at eye level with him. The media would go crazy when they arrived at the party. He had made sure that one of each major magazine and newspapers were present.

When they arrived, he had been right in his prediction. Various cameras went off, questions were thrown left and right, and most of them revolved around Hermione's break with McLaggen and what role _Kyle _had played in it all. Hermione answered very few questions, and mostly the important ones. Like how her son was doing, what designer witch she was wearing, and what she thought of Kyle's involvement in the fundraising for her organization.

Draco himself didn't answer any questions, but he did comment on how beautiful Hermione looked before they walked into the hall where everything had been set up. The tables were beautifully set with expensive china, silverware, and delicate glasses for his famous wine. Various vases of lilies and lilacs were around the room, and there was a majestic chandelier right above the dance floor. The room was already filled with many guests, but there were a lot more to go, or so he told Hermione as she marveled at all he had done.

"Thank you for this. It's all so beautiful and what makes it so wonderful is that the children orphaned will have so much more help than in past years," Hermione breathed.

"You must know that aside from doing this to help the children, I have done it for you," he said quietly, watching the red tint on her cheeks at his words. He smiled. "Don't think that I'm star struck, but all that you and your friends did for us all is something amazing, even though there must be some bad in there. I think that you are an incredible person because you have raised a son on your own, and you take care of other children who are not your family. Tonks has told me a few things about you too, and there just something about you that draws me in."

Hermione felt her mouth run dry at his words. How was it that he made her speechless so easily? She wasn't complaining, but no man had ever made her feel the same. Not even Cormac. Not even Ron, may he rest in peace. "Thank you. I just…"

"Don't say anything just yet. I understand that we hardly know each other, but that is the point of dating, isn't it? I would really like it if we got to know each other," Draco said quietly, shaking hands with a few people as they walked by them and congratulated his great work.

"Would you be willing to… give me some time? I don't think I can give you any type of response now, but just give me time to get used to the idea of moving on. So many things have gone on in my life, letting someone new in is a big step for me," Hermione admitted.

Draco took her hand in his and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "All the time you need. I will wait."

"Thank you," said Hermione honestly.

"Now, why don't we greet everyone and see who is here already?" he asked, offering his arm to her.

Hermione took it with a smile and pushed the smooth curls of her hair over one shoulder. Maybe giving him the chance he was asking for wouldn't be too bad.

…………

"Why so lonely, stranger?"

Harry looked up from his glass of red wine and his green eyes met with Pansy's dark ones. He found a smirk creeping onto his face and couldn't help but notice just how low cut her gown was. He was a man, after all. "I don't happen to have a date," he replied, taking another sip.

"Well then, we're on the same page. Come along and ask me to dance," she said, taking the glass from his hand and pulling him out of the chair. They made it to the center of the dance floor and Harry swallowed hard as one hand settled on her slim waist, while the other took hers and guided her slowly to the smooth ballad playing. She smelled of fresh flowers and… rain, and he wondered if the wine had addled his thoughts or something.

Hermione watched him from where she was in Kyle's warm arms. She was a bit afraid that Harry wouldn't allow himself a chance to be happy after losing the two most important women in his life, but if Pansy was able to bring him out of his shell and she managed to make him happy, Hermione would be as supportive as possible. But maybe she was jumping ahead of them. They hadn't even been on a date just yet. She sighed to herself as she felt Kyle's warm cheek against hers and tried to keep a clear mind. So far, she had enjoyed her night with him immensely, but was afraid of being hurt. She wasn't too relationship savvy. Her first kiss had been Viktor Krum, her first boyfriend had been Ron, but her first lover had been Draco Malfoy. She had had very little time in getting to know him, and since then, she hadn't really dated anyone until Cormac. She was nervous, but she was curious to see where Kyle wanted to take them.

There was a tap on Kyle's shoulder, and he stopped them, eyes narrowing when they both turned to look at Cormac McLaggen. "Would you mind if I cut in?" he asked with a little smirk.

"Cormac, I'm his date," Hermione said quickly, feeling Kyle's hand settle on her waist.

"Just one dance, Hermione, and I promise to step back," he said honestly.

"You heard the lady," Draco said, trying to hold back a snarl. It wouldn't do if Hermione saw just how overly jealous he could be when it came to her. He would've cursed the other man to the next dimension if he could.

Hermione felt the testosterone rising. Why was she always caught in the middle? She let out a sigh and settled a hand on Kyle's forearm. "Would you mind if I danced with him this song? I promise to come right back," she said, batting her eyelashes a little, but not overly much. She gave him a smile when he stepped back and nodded.

"I'll hold you to your promise," he said in an inviting tone, watching in satisfaction as McLaggen's eyes narrowed in displeasure.

Hermione turned to Cormac and managed a smile as he took her in his arms. The prospect of him touching her wasn't as pleasant as Kyle touching her. She knew that his words regarding her son had made that change, but she had always been fair to everyone who deserved it. She knew that knowing that Malfoy was her son's father had been a big blow to Cormac, but her son was her life the one person she treasured above everything.

"I'm sorry," Cormac whispered.

"It's a little too late for that. I told you. We can be friends, but nothing more," she replied, her eyes meeting grey from where she and Cormac danced. Kyle was watching her, and his gaze made her heart beat a little faster and her palms a little sweaty. She cleared her throat and looked away from him.

"Do you want me to beg for another chance?" Cormac asked, staring down into her eyes. "I'll do it because that's how much you mean to me. I'm sorry about what I said regarding your son's heritage, I understand that he's an innocent in all of this. But I don't want to lose you."

Hermione let out a breath and didn't know what to do. How to decide which man was best for her? She was almost positive that neither of them would agree to date her at the same time, but what other solution was there to her dilemma? She let out a sigh. "…Cormac."

"Just think about it for now," he said, and Hermione got a sense of déjà vu and realized that Kyle had said the same thing to her only about an hour earlier.

She was quiet for a moment. "Fine. I will think about it," Hermione replied. "But don't ask me to make a decision too soon. I need time to think. You must know that I want what is best for me and my son."

"I do. I understand," said Cormac, walking her towards Kyle once the song was finished. "Have a pleasant evening," he murmured, kissing her cheek before walking off.

Hermione watched him go and let out a little sigh before Kyle moved towards her. "Thank you for not overreacting with his move. I know I'm your date, but I didn't want in confrontations in public," she said with a rueful smile.

"Don't worry about it," Draco assured her. He had been seething inside, but he was really fine. As long as Hermione chose him in the end, of course, and he would do _anything _in order for that to happen. "Come with me, there is something that I want to show you," he said, walking her towards the back gardens of the hall.

……………

"Why have you been so quiet this evening? Am I such bad company?" Pansy asked Harry as they took a walk outside.

Harry shook his head. "Of course not. You have been nothing but pleasant since we met up again. It's just that… I think I'm the one that's a little bit broken. I don't find pleasure in the simple things that I used to before the war," he admitted.

Pansy gave him an apologetic smile. "I'll never say this in public again, but I'm happy that you won the war for us all."

Harry's green eyes sparkled with the moon shining down on them. "I appreciate that."

"Just… regardless of how we were back in school, I want you to know that I'm not the same person. I don't think any of us are. I want to be a better person than that spoiled little brat that I was in school. I wouldn't mind taking house-unity to another level, even though we aren't in school anymore," she said with a little wink.

He let out a laugh, but it froze in his throat when she moved forward and kissed him. It wasn't too over the top, but it wasn't too gentle either. But Harry found his brain had turned to mush and that he didn't feel like stopping her ministrations any time soon. His hands slid up her bare arms before he could stop himself and he drew her closer.

…………

Hermione and Draco watched with wide eyes as Harry and Pansy locked lips in a passionate kiss. They had been strolling under the moonlight, talking about her son, her job, how the funds would be used, and just about his business. Then they had stumbled upon their friends, or ex-friend in Draco's case, since she didn't know that he was alive.

"Well… I guess he took my advice seriously. I just hope she treats him well if they decide to get together," Hermione murmured.

"She's not a bad person," Draco said almost automatically.

"You know Pansy Parkinson?" Hermione asked, turning to look at him questioningly.

"Uh, I just meant that she doesn't look like a bad person," he said, a bit lamely.

Hermione didn't question him any further, instead she was a bit more interested in the kiss that had turned heated between Harry and Pansy. I think the rating just went up, and I don't suppose Harry would like it if he knew that we were being voyeurs," she said with a grin.

"Well, we can easily solve that," Draco said with a little shrug of one shoulder.

"Really?" she asked in interest. "And how would you go about doing that?"

"Well, with something along these lines," he murmured before moving forward and kissing her gently.

Hermione's eyes fluttered closed and she couldn't hold in the little breath that escaped her when he pulled away too soon. "I… uh… can we try that again?" she asked, biting her lower lip nervously.

Draco smiled and nodded, leaning forward to kiss her just as gently as before, his fingers linking with hers as she let him do as he wished to her lips. If this wasn't a step forward and in his favor, he didn't know what else would be. If things kept going the way he wanted them, he really would be able to let her know who he was by her next birthday. He just hoped and prayed to any deity he could remember that she gave him—the real him—a chance to make her happy.

…………

The following morning, every newspaper and the new magazines of the week covered the fundraiser that had helped bring in millions of galleons for the foundation that Hermione Granger spent her free time helping. But what was of more importance to the tabloids, was who she had arrived at the party with and who she had spent the remainder of the night with. There were various photos of them together, smiling at the camera and looking the perfect couple. The wizarding world was abuzz with this new power couple.

"I have a new plan."

Fudge nearly choked on his coffee. "Does it still include hurting the child?"

"No. But it does include hurting the girl. There's no point in getting to Potter personally. My sources tell me that the girl and the child mean to him more than his life. If we get to her, he will suffer all the more."

"Have you learned who the father of the boy is yet?"

Rufous shook his head and leaned back in his chair. "No word. If Potter were his father, I think he would've made it public by now, but he hasn't. Granger was under deatheater captivity during the war and towards the end. Maybe she was raped by one of the followers of _he-who-must-not-be-named._ The child was born almost exactly nine months later."

"I don't think she would treat the child with so much care if he had been a product of a rape," said Fudge.

"She's a Gryffindor. Are their lot not known for their compassion and caring?" Scrimgour asked with a sneer.

Fudge shrugged, looking very old and tired. "What have you planned for her now?"

"Her death," said Rufous smugly.

The other man's eyes grew wide. "What? How?"

"Do not worry. We won't do it ourselves. That's what lowlifes and _poor_ people are for. They'll do anything for a few galleons and knuts. But I have a plan, and it involves this man. He…" Scrimgour said, pointing to a picture of Hermione and Kyle. "… he will try to kill our dear Ms. Granger. If he fails, we'll instill fear in Potter and her both. If he succeeds, well, too bad for her and the boy, but Potter will deserve it."

"He won't willingly help you," said Fudge, swallowing hard.

"My dear man, there are many ways to kill someone when you have the use of magic," said Scrimgour evilly. So many ways to get people to do what you wanted them to. His revenge was at hand, and if the bill wasn't passed, he would take matters into his own hands.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

First off, I want to thank Gravidy for allowing me the use of the War Crimes Bill, I appreciate it very much. She is an awesome writer, and _Lions of December _is beautifully angsty and well written; if you haven't read it, go! I won't be using the idea _exactly_ the same way, and it's only going to be included in a few chapters, but again, thanks to Gravidy for the okay.

Second, thanks for those of you who came back, and commented, you made my day, honestly. I'm trying my very best to keep at this fic, because really, I want to finish it. My mind is still on FFVII, but I have a little space for this fic in my life too, so don't worry. I will try my best to update as soon as possible, but like I said before, I don't think they will be very fast, so apologies for that. Though I don't have the next chapters written yet, I do have the next few outlined, and I hope that makes things a little faster.

I have just one question before we go, aside from "pug-faced" features, has Pansy's looks ever been described in the books? I'm thinking that maybe I've overlooked them, but I'm kinda following the way she looks in the movies. She has black hair and black eyes, so if anyone knows, let me know so that I can change the way she looks. Putting all of this aside, how was it? Am I getting everyone's attention again? I hope so. I also hope it was to everyone's liking, since Draco has yet to tell our dear Hermione who he really is, and McLaggen isn't ready to give up the fight. I've always had a soft spot for HarryPansy, so expect them to be a couple here. Anyway, thanks again for the reviews and the encouraging words. I'll see you all soon!

Joey


	5. Close Call

………………………………

**Close Call**

………………………………

Hermione smiled to herself as she watched Kyle with her son. Lysander had really taken to him and they were now great friends. Though she had always hated flying, it appeared that her son would be just like his father and uncle Harry with their love for Quidditch. They were currently at Tonks's home, where they were protected by a charm that hid what they did from the muggles. That was how she found herself sitting in the green grass, even while it was winter, and watching Kyle and Lysander flying on a broom.

"Kyle is good with Lysander, isn't he?" Tonks asked, brushing the hair of one of Isa's dolls.

Hermione looked away from her son and nodded with a smile. "He seems like a wonderful man. What's wrong with him?" she asked semi-seriously.

Tonks smiled. "What do you mean?"

"Why isn't he married yet? Why doesn't he have a girlfriend?" Hermione asked, eyes moving back to watch Kyle as he set Lysander on his feet and they high-fived each other.

"Maybe… the right girl hasn't come along yet," Tonks said, a hint of something in her voice. She stood and grinned at her cousin. "I'm going to prepare some sandwiches. Any preference?" she asked them all.

"Any would be fine for me," Hermione said with a smile.

"Me too," Draco echoed.

"I want ham, please," Lysander said.

"And I want bologna, please, mummy," Isadora said. "Can I help you?"

Tonks smiled at her baby. "Of course sweetie, come along and I'll let you put the mayo and mustard on the bread."

Draco took a seat next to Hermione on the picnic cloth and watched as she took out a book from her bag and handed it over to Lysander. The boy's face lit with a smile and he thanked her for bringing his favorite book, which he had forgotten to bring himself. Draco let out a sigh and watched Hermione as she watched their son. She looked up at him then and found him staring unabashedly and her cheeks colored a little in embarrassment. She felt like a school girl with her first crush once more. She wasn't that old, but still, she felt so new to everything that had to do with a man showing interest in her.

"Thank you for being so good to my son," she said lightly.

Draco looked at the boy's features, the perfect blend of Malfoy and Granger, and shook his head. "I like kids, and you and he are a package. I like spending time with the both of you."

Hermione smiled and decided to be honest with Kyle because he was being honest with her. "Cormac asked me to give him another chance," she said quietly, biting her lower lip.

Draco felt as if she had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head with that comment. She wasn't seriously considering it, was she? "And what did you decide?" he asked instead.

"I don't know yet. I'm not really sure of what I feel for him yet. He was a great friend to me the time we dated, even when he was unreasonable at times, but I don't want to rush into any kind of decision."

He didn't know if her being honest with him about this was what he wanted. Draco didn't want to hear her talking about McLaggen. The man was his rival, for crying out loud. But he couldn't risk pressuring Hermione. He knew from past experience that she accepted no ultimatums and that she was a strong-willed woman who did what she wished with her life. She didn't need any man trying to control her life and she wouldn't stand for it either. Besides, he didn't think that she would react well to him going into a jealous rant regarding her ex. They were barely even friends. "Why not just date both of us and then decide which man you would rather be with?"

"What?" Hermione asked incredulously, and a little nervously. Was this guy for real? Was he really offering to allow her to date him _and_ another man? "You can't be serious!"

"Well, why not? This just goes to show you how serious I am about you. I want _you_ to be sure that you want to be with me. Of course I've never shared a woman before with another man, but I want you to make the best and right decision," Draco said quietly, reaching a hand over to push her chin up, making their eyes meet.

In that one moment, she felt the urge to tell him that she would date him and only him, but he was right. She needed to be sure of the decision she was making. Not only for her sake, but for her son's as well. But his eyes… she couldn't shake the feeling that she had stared into those eyes before. A long time ago. She sighed and turned to look at her son, who was flipping through the pages of his book and taking in the moving images. "You'll be okay with this?" she asked dubiously.

Draco sighed. "I don't like the idea much, but I will stand by it if it helps you decide who you want to be with."

"I appreciate this," said Hermione sincerely.

_You should, _Draco thought inwardly. She really had no idea how much self control he was exerting in allowing her to date McLaggen. "Do you think he will accept this?"

Hermione shrugged a little. "I don't know. But if he doesn't, that will show me just how much he wants to be with me."

Draco sighed. He really did hope that McLaggen didn't accept. It would make things so much easier if he didn't.

………………

A few days later, while Lysander was at school and Harry had decided to go for a walk on his own, Hermione sighed to herself and sipped at her mug of hot cocoa, trying to remember the last time she had felt so at ease. Though she still had to drink a dreamless potion, she was more relaxed than she had ever remembered being after the war. She was finally moving on with her life. She had her son, she had two men vying for her attention, and Harry was trying to get his life on track as well.

"Knock, knock," said Cormac as he stepped through the green fire of the hearth.

Hermione offered him a smile. "Good morning. Thank you for coming," she said.

Cormac nodded and leaned in to place a kiss on her cheek. "I was pleasantly surprised when you asked me to come see you. Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

She nodded and offered him some cocoa, which he accepted. "I've been thinking a lot these days…"

"Now, when has a day passed that the great Hermione Granger _doesn't_ think a lot?" he asked with a smirk as she rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I'm sorry, go on."

"I… have been spending a lot of time with Kyle," she said, noting how Cormac's shoulders stiffened at the mention of the other man. "He asked me to date him."

"And what did you say?" Cormac asked with barely restrained fury.

"Well, he… asked me to date the both of you at the same time to make a decision," Hermione said quietly. She waited for the explosion and she wasn't diappointed.

"What!? And you aren't seriously considering it, are you? I mean, there is no way in hell that I would agree to allow you to date another man while you're with me!" he nearly yelled.

Hermione gave him a shrewd look. "But I'm not dating you, am I?" she asked him smartly. "Kyle said that he would be willing to allow me to decide who I really want to be with."

'_That's a bunch of shite. No man allows the woman he's interested in dating another man. Not unless he has something up his sleeve,' _Cormac thought to himself. "He's a total ponce if he thinks that sharing his woman with another man will get him anywhere."

Hermione was beginning to see what Harry didn't like about Cormac. "Is that a no then? Thank you for telling me, now I'll be free to date Kyle only. I tried to give you the chance you wanted Cormac, but if you're going to act this way, maybe I shouldn't have even bothered."

He _wouldn't _allow this Kyle person to beat him. Cormac didn't see any other solution to this problem. He would just have to swallow his complaints and allow Hermione to date the other man. All he had to do was prove to her that he was the better man. Kyle Delaney wouldn't win. "Okay, Hermione. I'll give this a chance, though it doesn't look like the best idea to me."

Hermione let out a sigh and nodded. "You don't _have_ to do this. But I want to make the right decision for my son and for myself. Do you understand that?" she asked him quietly.

Cormac nodded and reached over to take her hand and kiss her knuckles. "I don't like it, but I do understand."

She nodded and smiled slightly. "Alright. Thank you for accepting this."

"You should know that I would do anything for you," Cormac said quietly.

Hermione just nodded and let out a small sigh. She wanted to pick the right man, and even though she had her own reservations about Kyle's suggestion, she hoped that it helped her make the right decision.

………

"What's with the look?"

Hermione smiled evilly and eyed Harry from head to toe. "You look happy. Happier than I've seen you in a very long time," she murmured. "Why?"

Harry shook his head. "No reason."

"Could this have anything to do with the snog session Kyle and I witnessed a few weeks ago?" she asked smugly. He flushed red and Hermione grinned. "You didn't think anyone saw that? Merlin, Harry all you needed was a spotlight. It's a miracle the media didn't catch it."

"It was just a kiss," he mumbled, looking away from her.

"But how does 'just a kiss' make you feel? Is she the one who has put that light back in your eyes? Because if she is, then please, take her to dinner. Romance her a little. Anything that will bring you back to life. I want you to be happy and though Pansy Parkinson makes me feel a little iffy, she's not the same person she used to be. Give yourself a chance," Hermione said with a gentle smile.

Harry took a seat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I don't know, Mione. I don't know if my mind is prepared to go through a relationship once more. Especially after losing Ginny," he admitted.

Hermione patted his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Why don't you just take the plunge? If you can't handle it, you'll know immediately."

Green eyes regarded her quietly and a smile curled his lips. "How is _your_ love life?"

"Bizarre. Kyle wants me to date him and Cormac at the same time so that I can make the best decision," she commented.

Harry sighed to himself and wondered what Malfoy was up to. If he truly wanted Hermione to get to know him, what was the point of allowing her the chance to date another man? "That's… very generous on his part."

"I know," Hermione replied.

"What did McLaggen say about this? I reckon he couldn't have accepted this so easily."

"He said no first, but then when I told him I would date Kyle anyway, he accepted," said Hermione.

They both looked up as an owl tapped against the window. Harry stood to let it in and took the parchment from its leg. He opened the note and found that it was from Pansy. He looked up at Hermione and smirked slightly. "She's asking me to join her for lunch."

"Go on then," Hermione said with a smile.

"If this whole dating thing backfires on me, I'm blaming you," Harry said, walking towards the floo. "Don't forget to pick up your son now that you have a full dating life."

Hermione just laughed and shook her head as her best friend disappeared. Goodness, he was smiling and joking once more and he couldn't see that maybe Pansy would be good for him. She just hoped that Harry didn't purposely sabotage any shot he had to being happy because of the memories of his past loves.

Meanwhile, Harry arrived at Pansy's two-floor flat and took a look around silently. Though it wasn't nearly as fancy as he had expected, it was nicely styled and very modern. Pansy walked into the sitting room to receive him and smiled pleasantly. "I wondered if you would accept. How have you been?"

"Better," Harry replied with a long sigh. "It's… it's nice to get out to be with new people. I haven't been out to lunch with anyone but Hermione and the Weasley's," he said.

Pansy nodded and slipped her arm through his before guiding him out towards the terrace. "We'll have lunch out here if you don't mind. Though it's still cold, the view is spectacular."

Harry looked around and noted that she was right. Though the sky was dark and grey because of the weather, the city was covered with snow. He pulled her chair out for her and then took a seat himself as a house elf brought over a tray of tea and various foods. At his look, Pansy smiled.

"Mitzy is free and I pay her to work for me," she said, laughing at Harry's incredulous look. "Don't look so shocked. S.P.E.W. always intrigued me, but I wouldn't be caught dead talking to Granger back then," Pansy admitted.

Harry smirked. "You'll become Hermione's best friend if I tell her about this," he said. "But, you know… this is the second time you ask me out. I think I need to do something about that."

Pansy gave him a curious look. "Something like what?"

"Like maybe _me _asking _you_ out next time? How about I take you to dinner this Saturday?" Harry asked, happy he could blame the cold for the pink on his cheeks instead of his embarrassment.

"I would very much like that," Pansy replied with a smile.

Though he knew it was too soon, that smile did something to his insides that Harry hadn't felt in so long. It felt foreign now, it felt new, but it wasn't at all unpleasant. He returned her smile and took his cup of tea quietly, trying to push down the slight feeling of guilt he could feel bubbling inside of him.

………

"How are you enjoying your French fries?"

Hermione looked up from her plate of an American cheese burger with seasoned fries and smiled. "It's delicious. I didn't know there was place with such great American food nearby. Usually Lysander drags me to a fast food restaurant in the middle of the city that makes me wonder where the meat came from. This looks fresh."

Draco smiled to himself and wondered what his son was up to. He hadn't seen him in a few days and already he missed the boy. Now that he knew just how expressive and curious the child was, Draco felt the yearning to see him every single day. But he couldn't, lest he give himself away before it was time. "I'm glad you're enjoying it, since I wasn't too sure just how proper it would be to take you to have hamburgers on a date."

"I think it's perfect," Hermione told him with a smile. They finished their food quickly and then walked through the neighborhood, the wind cold and with a promise of more snow.

They slowly stepped into the park where Lysander liked to play and Hermione took a seat in one of the swings, a small smile on her face. "I feel like I know you on some distant level," she said quietly.

Draco took a seat in the swing next to hers and watched her. "I want to get to know you on a more personal level," he replied. "I find you an amazing woman. Starting from the fact that you raised your son on your own."

Hermione had to smile at the mention of Lysander. The boy was her pride and joy and there wasn't a day that passed by that made her give thanks to have him in her life. "What would you like to know?" she asked, giving him the opportunity to ask her anything.

Draco recognized it as well, knowing how hard it had to be for her to put herself in that position. It made his heart do a funny dance in his chest. This meant that she actually did like him. "Can you… tell me about Lysander's father and what you felt for him?"

Though she had been expecting something along those lines, Hermione felt her breath freeze in her chest. What could she tell him about Draco? They hadn't been friends and they had made a tremendous jump from enemies to lovers. Something resembling love had been there at the end of the war, but they'd had no time to figure out what could've been. She had then found out about Lysander, and maybe the fact that Draco had given her the one last piece of the man he could've been, had made her feel like she could've been in love with him. "He saved my life," Hermione finally voiced. "We weren't friends, but if he had lived, maybe there would've been a chance to…"

"To what?" Draco pressed, wondering what she would say.

"To get to know the real man behind the façade of evil he often tried to exude."

_Tried? _Draco asked himself. He had often thought of himself as really evil. Leave it to Hermione to make him question himself. "If he was evil, how did you end up having a son with him?"

At his question, she blushed. "It kind of… just happened," she said nervously.

Draco could tell that she was uncomfortable about the topic and decided that his curiosity would best be satisfied some other time. He didn't want things to become tense enough to ruin his chances. "Don't worry about that. I just thought that… maybe you had loved your son's father."

"There wasn't any time for me to love him. All I had were 'what-ifs' and dreams that would never come true. I was so much younger when I had him, I was scared and alone. I only had Harry to be there for me and for my son," Hermione said quietly, swinging slightly back and fourth. Though Harry had needed to heal on his own too, and Hermione was glad that he was doing it now.

"I'm sorry," Draco murmured softly before he could stop himself.

Hermione looked up and blinked when a few snowflakes began to fall. "Why?" she asked quietly.

Draco looked at her, noting how her cheeks were pink from the cold and how her eyes were so dark, they were almost black. But he knew the chocolate color. They had been in his dreams for years now, since he had seen them up close in that cell. She was beautiful and she was all that he needed in his life to be happy. "I want to make you happy," he said softly.

Hermione smiled and watched as a few snowflakes landed on him as well. "Give me time to get to know the real you and we'll see where we'll go. My son likes you; _Harry_ likes you, which is something amazing. He usually hates most of the men who come near me."

Draco wondered just what Potter felt for Hermione. "Are you two… or were you ever?"

She grinned and shook her head. "Never. We just became so close because we were all we had left. I love him like a brother and he takes care of me and Lysander. Harry is going out with Pansy now," Hermione added as an afterthought.

Draco smirked and reached up to slide his warm hand across her cheek after pulling off a glove. "May I kiss you?"

Hermione had to stop and smile. He'd kissed her before and he was asking for permission now? Merlin, how she loved men like him. "You may," she said quietly, closing her eyes as his warm lips brushed against hers. She sighed gently and felt her heart speed up as his kiss continued gentle and coaxing.

"You're amazing. Don't ever forget that," Draco murmured as he slowly pulled away.

She smiled and stood when he offered her a hand, twirling her in the snow and pulling her against his chest for another kiss. With the snow falling in soft clumps, they made quite a sight. That was the first time in years that Hermione felt guilt free and a little happy. And she truly did hope that it would get better.

…………

"Mr. Apollo!"

"Hey kid, how are you doing?" Draco asked, stepping into Hermione's home and with his normal face on.

"I'm okay. Mummy went to go visit aunty Tonks," said Lysander, looking curiously at the bag Draco had in his hand. "What's that?"

"These are some gifts for you, but…" he paused. "… we can't tell mummy that they're from me, okay?" Draco looked at Potter as the man read through the paper, and Harry gave him a small shrug. "If mummy asks, we'll tell her that Uncle Harry got them, okay?"

"But why?" Lysander asked, genuinely curious as to why he had to lie to his mum. "is it another surprise for mummy?"

Draco cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes. Yes, we'll tell her everything on the day of her birthday, okay?"

"Okay!" said Lysander, taking the bag when Draco offered it.

"You are aware that you're making your son a liar, right?" Harry asked, coming up behind him.

Draco sighed and nodded. "It's not something I want him to do just yet, but if he tells Hermione who gave him the gifts, it's all over and Hermione won't ever want to speak to me."

"She won't want to speak to you either way after she finds out that you aren't really dead," said Harry smartly.

"I know that, but… it's a risk that I need to take, Potter. I'm so close to her getting to know the real me. I can't stop now," Draco replied.

Harry just sighed and looked at his nephew as the boy took out various new books, followed by a tatty old bear with patches in random places. "Don't tell me that thing used to be yours," he said to Draco, watching the other man as he nearly smiled.

Draco nodded. "Tonks kept the few things that survived the wreckage of Malfoy Manor and she gave it back to me when I was revived those years ago. I just thought that it would be in better hands if Lysander kept it."

"But won't you be sad without it?" the boy asked, walking over to Draco.

"I'll be okay," Draco assured him, reaching over to rub a hand over the silky waves of chestnut hair.

"I know what we can do!" Lysander said happily, racing off towards his room.

"What's he doing?" Draco asked Harry.

Harry shrugged, reaching a hand over to rub blue fur when Periwinkle jumped onto the back of the couch to get close to his hand. They watched then as Lysander walked back out with his favorite stuffed cat in his arms and walked over to hand it to Draco.

"What's this for?" Draco asked his son, kneeling so that they were at eye level.

"That's so you won't get lonely without your bear. You can sleep with him every night and he'll make the nightmares go away," said Lysander.

Draco nodded and smiled. "But won't you miss him?"

Lysander shrugged. "I'll miss him, but it's okay because he'll be taking care of you too."

Draco couldn't resist pulling the small body into his chest for a brief squeeze. "Thank you," he said, swallowing hard when little arms squeezed his neck right back.

"You're welcome. Can you read me a book, please?"

"Sure. Pick whichever book you'd like and I'll read it for you," he replied.

"Remember that you need to take your nap soon, Sonny. One book and you're off to bed, okay?" Harry asked.

Lysander nodded as he grabbed a book on giants and nodded. "Yes, Uncle Harry!"

"I'll be in the kitchen, getting something to eat," Harry said.

Draco nodded and sat down on the couch, getting comfortable as his son walked over to him and sat in his lap. "All right. This is a story about a gentle giant who wishes to one day become a Quidditch player…"

Meanwhile, after satisfying his appetite with a huge sandwich, Harry walked out of the kitchen a long while later to find Lysander sound asleep in Malfoy's arms. The child looked peaceful and trusting in his sleep, but Harry had to admit that seeing Malfoy as something other than a hateful git was more than a little creepy. Though he had to admit that maybe getting killed and then revived to find that he was a father was something that would change a man. Malfoy seemed to be trying to do what was right for the second time in his life; the first had been saving Hermione from certain death and more weeks of torture.

What threw him a little more though, was the picture of Hermione in Malfoy's hand and the look on his face as he watched it. "Maybe you should just come clean with Hermione now," he said from the doorway.

Draco set down the picture in his hand and cradled Lysander before standing. "I may not be doing things the right way, but she needs to get to know me. I just… I've never been too smart about how I do certain things," he muttered with a faint smirk.

"You're preaching to the choir here," muttered Harry, leading him towards Lysander's room so that Draco could set him down in his bed for his nap. "Don't think that I'm shoving you out, but Hermione is going to be here soon. Be on your guard," Harry said before dimming the lights and walking out.

Draco ran his hand over Lysander's hair again and smiled as the boy clutched the old bear to his chest and kept sleeping peacefully. He had often wondered where the bear had come from, but his mother had never told him. Draco got the feeling that it had been from his father though since old Lucius hadn't made him throw it out once he had been too old for stuffed animals. Now it was the only thing of his past that he could pass down to his own son.

"I'll take care of you for the rest of my life. You have no idea what you and your mother mean to me," he murmured, touching a soft cheek gently. "I promise I'll give you the family you deserve very soon."

Outside in the sitting room, Draco could hear the sound of the floo and listened as Hermione spoke to Harry, asking for their son. Slipping the ring that altered his appearance back on his finger just in the nick of time, he turned to see Hermione enter the bedroom.

"Hello, I didn't think you would be here with my son," Hermione said with a smile, walking over to press a kiss to his cheek.

Draco just nodded and took her in as greedily as he could. He didn't know how long he would be able to stay away from her either. He needed them both in his life and it was getting harder and harder to be another man while in front of her. "I just brought him some things that I knew he would enjoy," he said quietly, watching as she moved over to check the child as he slept.

"Like the new bear in his arms?" she asked softly.

"Yes. It used to be mine and I have no more use for it. I automatically thought about your son," Draco replied.

"Thank you, then," she said, standing and walking with him out of the room. "Would you like to stay for lunch?"

Draco smiled apologetically. "I'm afraid I can't. I have a business lunch scheduled for today and I've already spent a while longer than I had thought. Though I did not mind one bit. Lysander and I went through half of the stack of books I brought for him. Reminds me of you when we—" he stopped talking, noting the way she and Potter were looking at him. Too late did he remember why he wasn't supposed to be referring to their pasts.

"By 'we' he means him and me," Harry interrupted. "I was telling him just how many books you used to lug around for class. It was a miracle that you didn't end up with a hunch," he said with a laugh, ignoring the grateful look on Malfoy-but-not-Malfoy's face.

Hermione bit her lip and knew that she should've questioned the explanation and Kyle's words—since she'd done enough of questioning everything that had happened to her so far—but she was surprised at just how many books her son had made Kyle read. She smiled instead and nodded. "I was the same way back when I was a little girl too. There were times when my parents debated as to who would tuck me in because they _had _to read to me every night," she said.

"Like mother, like son, right?" Draco asked, feeling his breath leave him in a quiet 'whoosh.' "Will I see you next weekend?" he asked her.

Hermione sighed. "I'm going out with Cormac. How about we do something the weekend after that?" she asked.

Draco nodded and walked with her towards the floo. Though he didn't much enjoy the idea of McLaggen convincing Hermione that he was a good guy, Draco was certain that the oaf would do something to mess it up. This something was usually in regards to his son, since Potter had told him that McLaggen knew who Lysander's real father was. "I'll miss you," he murmured, smirking as Potter nearly raced out of the room as soon as he started leaning in towards Hermione.

She smiled against his lips and nodded. "Me too, but you told me to let Cormac have a chance. He usually does or says something to get me angry, so a date after this weekend will most likely never happen," she murmured, a soft blush staining her cheeks.

"I will see you soon then," Draco said before grabbing a handful of floo. At Hermione's nod, he was gone and he found himself standing in his flat, a stuffed cat in his hands. He looked down at it and felt his heartache.

That had been too close and he wasn't too sure that it wouldn't happen again. Next time, Potter wouldn't be there to save him from blurting out that he truly knew Hermione from long ago and that scared him. Confronting Hermione scared him, though he would admit it to no one.

He knew on some level that he was fooling himself into thinking that she would welcome the real him with open arms, but it was too late to second guess his plans now, he thought, removing his ring and staring at the real Draco Malfoy under the Kyle façade. His pale eyes and pale hair nearly glared back at him. He sighed and ran a hand through his short hair. He just hoped that in the end, Hermione would love him enough to forgive him.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Ha! Four thousand years later and I've updated again! Okay, so things may look a little too slow at this point, but trust me, the next chapter will pick up and we'll really get into the plot. So Draco nearly gave himself away, and there's no guarantee that it won't continue to happen and Hermione will start to realize that there's something suspicious about him, and many of you will probably want to kill me because Hermione decided to give McLaggen a chance, but you all know this will eventually be a deeper DracoHermione romance, so don't threaten me just yet. Also, there will be more HarryPansy as well. I want to thank everyone who reviewed and has waited patiently. Thank you and I do hope to update this sooner rather than later, but it seems a little harder with school, homework, and working on my other fics. Still, I'll see you all around!

Joey


	6. Honesty

………………………………

**Honesty**

………………………………

Lysander was a very smart boy. He had been curious about everything from a very early age, and his uncle Harry had told him that he got that from his mother. Now, he had heard his auntie Tonks tell his cousin Isa that she looked a lot like her father, and he had come to be curious about his own father.

"What happened to your daddy?" Lysander asked Isadora.

The little girl shrugged. "Mummy says that he's gone, but that he'll always be with me here," she said, pointing to her heart.

"Is my daddy gone too?" he asked.

"I dunno, but you can ask your mummy. She'll tell you," said Isa, taking his hand and pulling him along towards the kitchen where their mother's were. "Auntie Mione?"

"Yes, sweetie?" Hermione asked, setting down her glass of wine and turning to the little girl.

"Where is Lysander's daddy?" Isadora asked her.

Tonks nearly dropped the stirring spoon in her hand and turned to her daughter, but Hermione shook her head before her friend could berate her daughter. She turned her eyes to her son, and saw that he was eagerly awaiting her answer. Poor baby, he was so curious, but there were things he shouldn't know just yet. Clearing her throat, she looked at Tonks, who raised her eyebrows at her—which today were a very loud shade of pink—and leaned back against the counter to listen too.

"Is he with my daddy?" Isa asked.

"What have you told her about her father?" Hermione asked quietly.

"That he's gone somewhere that he can't come back from, but that he'll always be with her in her heart," Tonks said just as softly.

Hermione nodded and turned back to the children. "Yes, Isa. Lysander, your father is in the same place Isa's father is. He can't come back, but I'm sure that he loves you very much."

"Can I see pictures of him? Isa has pictures of her daddy," said the boy with a smile.

"I think I have some pictures of him if you don't," Tonks offered.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think that will be a good idea right now. He needs to be a little older so that I can tell him everything," she said seriously. She turned to the children and smiled. "I'll look for some pictures, but when we get home I'll tell you some stories about him, okay?"

"Okay!" Lysander said excitedly. Then he turned and ran off with Isadora so that they could continue playing.

"You're not thinking about keeping his father's identity from him are you?" Tonks asked, turning back to their food.

Hermione shook her head. "No. I've thought about it for years, since I found out that I was pregnant. There are times when I think it'll be better for him to never know anything about Draco, but then I think to myself that I can't keep something so important from him, unless I want him to hate me later on. I just... I want him to be older, so that he can understand what happened."

Tonks nodded in understanding. "I know what you mean. Isa doesn't understand what I tell her when I say that her father can't come back, but in a few years, she will."

Hermione sighed. "I can't even begin to wonder what he will feel if I decide to ever marry someone."

"You have anyone in mind?" Tonks asked with a grin.

"Not yet, but I do like your cousin. He's great with me and Lysander loves him," Hermione said with a smile.

Tonks nodded and was happy to see Hermione happy, she just didn't want to know what would happen once Draco told her who he really was and that he was alive. A part of her knew that Hermione would never forgive her for lying to her. Sighing to herself, she grabbed a few plates and began to set the food in them. She just hoped Draco knew what he was doing.

…………

"I still can't understand why you gave that fool a chance," Harry grumbled as he stepped out of Lysander's room. Since the boy had spent the entire day playing with his little cousin, he had gone to sleep earlier than usual, leaving Hermione and Harry to argue in peace.

"Harry, I'm not going to do this with you right before my date. I'm... trying to figure out what to do with my life. You can't help me with this as much as you want to," Hermione said seriously, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "McLaggen may seem like a bad guy to you, but he's not to me. Not really, and yes, I remember what he said about my son. But, how would you have reacted if you had found out that—"

"Mione, it did happen the same way with us. I didn't blow up on you when I found out that you were pregnant with Malfoy's spawn," Harry replied impatiently.

He was right, but still... this was her life and Harry needed to worry about his own before he worried about hers. "I appreciate you trying to be my big brother, but do try to remember that I'm older than you?" she asked with a smile.

Harry snorted slightly and just grabbed a beer from the kitchen. "If he acts like an arse tonight, will you finally break any ties you have with him?"

"Yes," Hermione replied, grabbing her coat as the hearth began to turn green. "Get some rest and don't wait up for me," she said before kissing his cheek and walking towards Cormac.

Harry just saluted half-heartedly with the hand that was holding his beer and watched as McLaggen saluted him just for Hermione's sake. He couldn't express how much he disliked that man, but if Hermione was willing to give him a chance, Harry knew that there was nothing he could do. Making his way towards the sitting room, he popped in a movie and prepared for a long night. Despite what Hermione told him, he would always wait up for her. That was what a big brother did, even if he was younger than she was.

………

"This is nice," Hermione commented as Cormac walked her into a very casual but nice looking restaurant.

He nodded and smiled slightly. "I know that you don't really like fancy places, so I thought that this would be a good place for us to eat and then dance," he said with a wink.

Taking a seat at a table, Hermione took a look at the menu, but her mind seemed to be miles away. Now that she was supposed to be giving McLaggen a chance, her mind was else were. Well, at least she knew where. She just couldn't stop thinking about Kyle. He had a very nice smile, though it times it seemed familiar, but it was a smile that she enjoyed when it was directed towards her.

"...you going to have?"

"Pardon?" she asked, looking at Cormac in alarm.

"I asked what you were going to have," he repeated, motioning towards the waiter standing to their left.

Hermione's eyes widened and she hadn't even realized that the man was standing there. She placed her order and turned to look at Cormac with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry. My mind has traveled miles away without my permission," she said with a smile.

"Don't worry. Would you like to dance while we wait for our food?" he asked, standing and offering her a hand.

Well, he wasn't really giving her the choice, since it would look bad if she said no and he had to sit down once more. She placed her hand in his after a moment of hesitation and allowed him to lead her to the dance floor. Feeling his hands on her waist gave Hermione an uncomfortable feeling, but she allowed it, because it wasn't fair to shut him down in the middle of their date.

"Are you okay?" he asked her softly.

Hermione nodded. "I'm always worried about my son and Harry. They both need me still."

Cormac nodded. "You're just that special," he murmured.

Despite the fact that her head had just been thinking of another man, Hermione smiled and settled a little more comfortably in his arms. "Thank you," she murmured, relaxing by slow degrees.

"Don't mention it," Cormac replied, taking in the sweet scent of her hair. Now this was a woman who he wouldn't willingly give up without a fight. She was everything he had ever fantasized about, down to the way she fought for everything every step of the way. He hadn't liked the idea of her having a son with that bastard Malfoy, but he understood now that he wouldn't be able to get to her if he didn't accept the child first. He wasn't a fan of little Lysander, but the boy would be the key to getting to Hermione's heart, therefore, he had to find a way to get on the boy's good graces.

"Looks like the food, is arriving," Hermione murmured, drawing away from his arms and offering him a small smile.

Cormac nodded and led her back towards the table, pulling her chair out for her. "I'm looking forward to spending time with you Hermione, and you can't know how thankful I am that you gave me another chance to show you that I want to be with you."

Hermione nodded. "It's a fresh start. I just hope that you'll accept that my son comes before everything this time," she answered.

He nodded. "Of course." Cormac watched her throughout their entire meal and listened intently to anything she had to say. At this point, he was willing to give her all that she wanted. There had never been a woman he had wanted the way he did her and though the pretty boy after her had warned him about not fighting fair, then neither would he fight fair.

"I forgot to mention how beautiful you look tonight," he murmured, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

Hermione smiled. "Thank you. Now, do me a great favor and explain to me this rumor I heard about you starting a charity foundation," she said in curiosity.

Cormac smiled slowly. He had set out his bait, and his prey was falling for it.

…………

"_Mudblood."_

"_What?"_

"_I know about the half-breed."_

"_Who's there?"_

"_No half-breed will ever be a true Malfoy."_

_Hermione stared, trying to see through the fog and hear through the sounds of fighting. Lucius Malfoy._ Lucius Malfoy was dead._ "You're dead."_

"_Your memories keep me alive inside your mind," he said, smirking that self-satisfied smirk he had passed onto his son._

"_You're not real," Hermione murmured. "You're just a figment of my imagination."_

"_Then if I am only imaginary..." he nearly purred. "...how would I know about the half-breed my son sired with you?"_

_Hermione held back a scream of anguish when she saw Lysander in Lucius' arms. "Give me my son back," she hissed, her hand slowly going for her wand._

"_You took my son from me, it is only fair I return the favor," said Lucius, boredly scanning the battle field._

_The scene around them was slowly coming into focus, and Hermione realized with a start that they were back to the day of the war. Ron was... Ron was a few feet away, already pale and unmoving. Hermione averted her eyes and turned back to Lysander, who appeared to be sleeping in the arms of his own grandfather._

"_Keep your hands where I can see them," said Lucius, pressing the tip of his wand to Lysander's cheek. "We wouldn't want this little one to be in harms way."_

"_Put him down and _we_ will settle this," Hermione said seriously._

"_We will settle this pureblood to mudblood? Or killer to killer?" asked Lucius maliciously._

"_I did what I had to. Your dark lord is gone and so are you. This is nothing but a bad dream," Hermione said seriously, her eyes still on her son._

"_Are you sure about that?"_

_Hermione took the opportunity to slide her wand out and point it straight at Lucius' head. "Put my son down unless you want me to sever your head with a handy spell that I know."_

"_I thought this was all a dream," he taunted. "But it doesn't matter. Attempt to harm me and I won't hesitate in using the little bastard as a shield," he said, holding up Lysander so that his little peaceful face was right next to his._

_In that moment, Hermione realized how much her son had inherited from the Malfoy family, even with his dark hair. The more Lysander grew, the bigger the possibility would be that he would look more like Draco. "What do you want?" Hermione asked him finally._

"_You. Dead."_

"_Hmm. That's not going to happen. You're the one who is dead, and I'm alive. I have Draco's son, _your_ grandson and nothing you say and do will change that," Hermione said with a smirk._

"_Would you like to see?" Lucius murmured. Hermione's eyes narrowed and she kept her wand pointed straight at him. "One way or another, you will pay for what you took from me. You'll never have Draco completely."_

'But Draco is dead,' _she thought inwardly. The fear gripped her in the pit of her stomach when she saw the evil gleam in his eyes. Her lips parted to call out a curse, but time seemed to slow all around them and Hermione's eyes widened when she saw the green light rise from Lucius' wand tip and towards her son._

"Avada Kedavra."

"_No!"_

…………

Draco was in a good mood. He was sure that Hermione would soon decide that he was a better candidate for her as a husband and the love of her life than that large idiot McLaggen. When he arrived at Hermione and Potter's apartment, he gave the latter a look when he smirked.

"How is the whole wooing process working for you?" Harry asked.

"Slow. I gave her the chance to choose McLaggen."

"Yeah, real stupid on your part," said Harry.

"Where is she?" Draco asked, ignoring his words and looking around the flat.

Harry sighed. "Taking a nap. Lysander went to sleep late and woke up early. He seems to have limitless energy when we don't," he replied with a faint smile.

Draco nodded and looked fondly towards the picture of his son with Hermione. "I'll use the lavatory while she wakes," he said.

Harry nodded. "I'm going out. Tell her that I'll be back soon. And hey... no funny business," he warned before he walked out the door.

Draco smirked to himself and made his way towards Hermione's bedroom, desire to see her getting the better of him. As he approached her door, he heard strange whimpering sounds from inside. He slowly opened the door a sliver and realized that she was having a nightmare, her skin bathed in a light sheen of sweat and her features scrunched up in anguish. Approaching the bed slowly, he sat at her side and ran a gentle hand through her hair, hoping to calm her. Her breathing only quickened and he only had a moment to back away before she abruptly sat up with a scream.

Draco wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tightly to calm her down. "Relax," he crooned, hugging her still as she struggled with him.

"Kyle?" she nearly whimpered against his shoulder, hot tears trailing from her cheeks. "What are you doing here? Where's Harry?"

"He went out. Asked me to tell you that he would be back soon. Are you alright now?" he murmured softly, letting her draw away so that he could stare into her pale face.

Hermione nodded quickly and used her sleeve to wipe her tears away. "I was just having a bad dream," she whispered.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Draco asked softly.

She shook her head. "No... I just... I can't relive it. I'm sorry," she said, a few more tears traveling down her cheeks.

He moved forward and gently kissed them away, wrapping his arms around her when she began to cry once more. "I'm here. It's okay," he murmured, rubbing her hair and trying to settle her down.

"Hold me?" she nearly pleaded. Most of her dreams had been more than gruesome, but seeing Lucius hurting Lysander was something that drove her to near hysterics. Harry was usually around to hold her until she settled down, but today he wasn't, and she truly couldn't deny that she wanted to know what it felt like to be held by another man.

Draco nodded immediately and moved with her on the bed, laying down on his side and watching her as she settled in against him, her head resting under his chin. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed her firmly. "Does this happen often?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "Not in a long time. I'm supposed to take a new dosage of my dreamless potion. Ever since the war... I've had to take it. I just... I can't handle most of my dreams. The unconscious part of me is hell bent on reminding me about the things that I did and that I went through."

Draco stared at the pattern of her quilt blankly. He understood all she was saying. He'd had many a sleepless nights when he had woken from bad dreams and hadn't been able to sleep for long hours again. He wasn't without his guilt either, and more often than not, those dreams involved Hermione in that cell those years ago. Pressing his lips to her forehead, he sighed and smiled slightly when she relaxed in his arms and wrapped one of her own around his waist. "How was your date with McLaggen?" he asked.

She couldn't tell if he was curious or just asking to be polite. "It was okay. I kept thinking about you the entire night," she muttered.

Draco smirked before he could stop himself and looked down at her. She was blushing and wouldn't meet his eyes, but he found it endearing all the same. "Good, because I kept thinking about you too. I didn't get any work done," he murmured.

"You work at night too?" she asked, smiling now that the awkward moment had passed.

"When I can't sleep. I usually only get a few hours of sleep anyway," he replied.

"You don't try your own wine?"

He shrugged. "Once in a while. I've just tried so many wines in the last few years that I rarely drink it anymore. I rather stick to tea."

Hermione laughed and sat up, her eyes meeting those nearly silver ones. She saw Lysander in those eyes, but she knew that it was impossible. Those eyes had closed years ago and there was no use in her dwelling in the past. Leaning forward, her eyes still holding his, she brushed her lips against his gently, noting that his grey eyes were sparking with warmth for her. Draco's eyes had never looked at her that way; at least, not until it had been too late. Sliding a hand across his cheek, she wondered briefly if her attraction to this man was because he reminded her of Draco, but she shook the thought away and sighed, looking away.

"What's the matter?" Draco asked, sitting up and looking at her seriously.

"It's nothing," she muttered, her thick hair sliding across her cheek and hiding her face from him.

"Your past… it doesn't matter to me," he murmured, pulling her chin so that she was facing him once more. "I just want to be here for you." And it was the true Draco speaking, not his made up persona.

"I want you to be here too, it's just that I… I've never had a true relationship. What my first boyfriend and I had was puppy love. Then, with Lysander's father… I still don't know what we had because it never got to develop. I haven't done any of this relationship stuff and it… scares me a little," she admitted.

"That's okay. It scares me too. I had many girlfriends in my younger years, but none of them were ever enough. With you… it's different," Draco admitted with a small smile. "I just wish you would give me the chance to show you."

Hermione stared into those sincere eyes and lost herself. It was the very first time it happened and she accepted it. She didn't want to be alone. Sure, she had Harry with her, but it was in a different sense. This man was offering a chance to show her what love and protection was. She had always been independent and powerful enough to protect herself, but she would've been lying if she said that she had never been jealous of the girls talking about their boyfriends in school. Ron had been a big dummy when it came to romance, she thought fondly, but he had made her smile and had always been there to offer her a hug when she needed one. She wanted that once more and Kyle had been there to hold her when she had needed it.

"Okay."

Draco stared. Had he heard correctly? "What?"

"I said… okay. I'll give you the chance. I'll tell Cormac that he and I should stop seeing each other. We'll be… exclusive."

Draco couldn't stop the smile that slid across his face and he nearly lunged forward to kiss her. He was quite surprised to find her so pliant and willing when the kiss turned heated. Her hands slid through his hair as his slid up her waist, and he couldn't help the groan that rose from his throat when her lips parted for him.

Hermione felt her heartbeat quicken at the feel of Kyle's hands on her body, but just as she was getting comfortable, the memory of Draco's lips and hands on her came fourth to the front of her mind and she just couldn't continue. Drawing back with a gasp, her head dropped back against her bed, her eyes on the ceiling. "A little too fast," she explained when he gave her a look.

Draco sighed and nodded. He had expected her to say that at any moment. "That's okay. We'll go at the pace you decide."

"Really?" she asked with a smile. She caressed his cheek and gave him a smile that was only half-forced. "Would you like to go pick Lysander up with me?" Hermione asked, sitting up slowly.

"Of course," Draco replied without hesitation. Any and all moments with his son were like finding rare jewels. There were too few and all precious. "Would you join me at dinner this Friday?"

Hermione sighed and shook her head. "I have to see Cormac. It was supposed to be another date, but… it'll be the night I tell him there will be no more dates between us."

Draco didn't like it, but he knew that when Hermione gave her word, she kept it. "All right. Well, how about I take you to lunch today, after we pick up Lysander?"

"That would be splendid," Hermione replied with a smile, grabbing her coat.

He nodded and led her out the door so that they could apparate to Lysander's school. Letting out a small breath, he took her hand in his and entwined their fingers, feeling a warm, light feeling spreading in his chest at her smile. It wouldn't be too long now, before he told her who he was. By then, hopefully she would love him enough to forgive him.

………

The day of the first hearing in front of the Wizengamot, Hermione and Tonks opted to leave Lysander and Isa with their babysitter and both showed up with Harry. The reporters had gone crazy, but by orders of the higher Ministry officials, had stayed away from them when they had arrived. Harry had been told that there would be no ruling, but that it would be decided if and when there would be one. Hermione wasn't entirely happy about sitting out on the arguments, but Harry had told her that if he could sit through it, then so could she.

Staring at Fudge and Scrimgour, Hermione felt her eyes go cold, and she smiled in satisfaction when Fudge began to sweat in nerves. "That's just plain evil," muttered Harry with a grin.

"I know," Hermione said with a satisfied smile. It wilted some as she stared at her hands. Though for a good cause, her hands were still stained with the blood of men. They had been evil, and had any been left in their world, the nightmare would've had no end. Still there was no one in their world with enough right to take the life of another human being. Whether she liked it or not, she and Harry were criminals. The fact that they hadn't acted on orders from the Ministry made them that. She blinked when a slightly paler hand came over her own, and she looked up to see Kyle at her side. "How did you get in here?" she asked him with a smile.

"I just said that I was here with Tonks. They let me right in. did you know that there are some people here who still have some healthy respect for the power you, Potter, and Tonks have?" Draco asked her quietly.

"Maybe that's why they want to lock us up," Hermione said.

Draco shrugged a shoulder and narrowed his eyes when he saw Rita Skeeter watching them from the back of the room. "Is Skeeter up to her old tricks?"

Hermione turned to look at her and returned the saccharine smile the Beetle sent her way. Then she turned back to Kyle and sighed. "She's been laying low, but I expect she'll have something to say about us being together. Just don't believe about anything that she writes about me being with thousands of guys before you."

Draco smirked. He could at least tell himself that he knew her better than anyone else did. His wonderful bookworm had never worried about having a boyfriend during school, so he knew that anything Skeeter would write would be a bunch of lies. The only thing the bothersome woman could do now was speculate about Lysander's father.

The room silenced when the Wizengamot entered and they took their seats. Every time a crime committed by Ron, Harry, or Hermione was mentioned, her hand would tighten around his, though she showed no outward sign of being nervous. Still, if the Wizengamot accepted to prosecute them, Draco knew in his heart that he would bring down the heavens to protect Hermione and their son. Sighing to himself, he patted her knee in a small form of comfort and continued to listen.

"We cannot allow their crimes to go unpunished, even if they did help bring order to our world!" called one man.

"He saved us from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," a woman put in.

"They have committed no other crimes," someone else argued.

"What does it say of the justice system if the criminals are allowed to roam free after having murdered countless wizards and witches? Does that make them any less guilty than other murderers?" Rufous suddenly asked, interrupting the arguing of the Wizengamot as he stood up.

Harry grit his teeth in rage and turned to look at the man. It was clear that he was taking their personal argument to an all new level. "We did what we had to because certain people in power were warned beforehand about what was happening and they chose to ignore it. Do you have any idea how many more people would be dead if we hadn't done anything?" Harry asked calmly. It wouldn't do their image well if he began to shout, but he was a few spaces away from blowing a gasket.

"Silence. The both of you!" said one of the highest officials there. "We have heard the arguments from the Wizengamot today, but we need to look at any and all evidence. We will also have the accused and witnesses speak. That hearing will be held in two months time."

Hermione let out a small breath and noticed the look on Scrimgour's face. Her eyes narrowed in thought and she wondered just how badly the man wanted her and Harry to go down. He had been one of the many skeptics and it was in part his fault that they had gone out to do what they had. Had they taken the precautions, not so many lives would've been lost.

Draco tried not to look worried, but Hermione appeared to be lost in her thoughts. He could only wonder about all the things she and Potter had done before she had gotten captured by the deatheaters. He had done many things in his young life, but he suspected that Hermione had done many many more than even he knew of. Everyone began to file out of the room until they were the only ones left.

"They can't charge us," Harry muttered.

"They won't," Hermione said seriously. "You're still the most respected man in the Wizarding universe. You'll see that they won't find enough proof to convict us. We haven't even been formally charged."

"But we might be in two months," Harry replied, his worried green eyes meeting hers, and then Draco's.

"We won't," Hermione repeated, glaring angrily into his eyes. "I refuse to believe we will be because I have a son to worry about. Who will I leave him with if charges are pressed? We won't get convicted," she repeated.

Harry finally nodded and was reminded of why Hermione was scary. After all, she had been that way in school when it came to schoolwork. Standing, he waited for Tonks and Hermione to walk ahead of him and looked at Malfoy. "Lysander will have you if we're accused," he murmured.

Draco nodded. "But this was not what I had in mind," he replied. "I wanted my son _and_ Hermione to be by my side."

Harry nodded as they exited the room and was thankful that Skeeter was gone. He really didn't have the strength to deal with her at the moment. Looking ahead of them, his eyes caught sight of a familiar face. He offered Pansy a small smile and told the others to go without him. "Were you present for the hearing?"

"I think everyone involved in the war was. There are a lot of people on your side," Pansy said quietly, walking with him towards the floo.

"Still, there are many out there that didn't like me to begin with," he said with a smirk.

"I happen to not be one of them. I like you, and very much," she said honestly.

Harry couldn't deny that it was flattering to hear, but he was apprehensive about getting close to her when there was a chance that in two months he could be in Azkaban Prison. "Pansy, this isn't a good time to pursue something with me," he said seriously, stopping her and pulling her into a secluded alcove where no one would hear them or see them.

Pansy shrugged. "I know, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to get to know you better. You need someone to talk to and I can be that someone if you let me. Will you let me?"

Harry was silent, taking in her features, which had changed since they had been in school. She was a pretty girl, with dark hair and eyes, and a slim figure. He realized that her change of attitude only added to her allure. "I don't know if it's a good idea..."

Pansy sighed in irritation at his stubbornness and moved forward before he could keep protesting. Her lips met his in a gentle touch, her hands cupping his face. She smiled against his lips when he felt his hesitant hands hover over her waist. "There's nothing to be afraid of," she murmured reassuringly. Then she ran a thumb across his cheek before she walked away from him.

Harry stared after her slightly dazed and a little confused. He didn't know what it was that he was feeling for Pansy now, but it was something that made his stomach do funny things. He had never thought he would feel that way again, especially after Ginny… but he couldn't keep lying to himself about not returning Pansy Parkinson's affections. Running a hand over his face, he sighed to himself. Maybe life was giving him something else to live for. It was his choice whether or not he took the chance.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Hey, hey! We have another update and slightly quicker than the last. First off, let me thank those of you who reviewed the last chapter. It shows me you're still interested and that I should keep writing. I've gotten a hang of where I want to go with this story, and let me tell you that it'll be a wild ride, just like my other fics. So we have more DracoHermione moments, plus there you have some HarryPansy. I do find their pairing interesting and it's one of my favorites. Also, I have to apologize if I didn't reply to your reviews, but I'm pressed for time these days. Just know that I'm always thankful to read your opinions.

Now, overall, was it good? I've been away from this fandom for a while, so I need to do my research again. If any of the names or terms are incorrect, feel free to point them out. It's been a while since I last read the books or any fanfiction and I'm kinda rusty on it; please ignore any typos there are too. I'll get to those as soon as I can. Also, did anyone see "Twilight"? Rob Pattinson is so HOT in that movie! I'm interested to see what's next and I'll see into reading the books so that I can get a hang of the plot. Anyway, I hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll try to update as soon as I can!

Joey


	7. To Start Over

_Notice a rating change!_

_Warnings: Adult situations, but nothing explicit._

………………………………

**To Start Over**

………………………………

The evening of her date with McLaggen, Hermione felt a little antsy and anxious. She remembered how aggressive he had been in his teen years and though she knew how to take care of herself, it made her wonder what type of reaction she'd get from him after she broke things off. She was wringing her hands in front of the mirror when she saw Kyle standing at the door. For one crazy moment, she imagined that she was seeing Draco, and she shook her head and closed her eyes, cursing inwardly. She never had been big on profanity, but when she felt as if she were losing her mind, she made the exception.

She offered him a small smile and turned to look at him as he let himself in. "I am… beginning to regret allowing you to go to see this man," said Kyle, giving her a look from head to toe.

"Really? It's too much?" Hermione asked in worry, staring down at the simple off the shoulder shirt and long black skirt she had chosen for the night. She had wanted to go for the more conservative look so that McLaggen didn't get the wrong idea. Maybe she's chosen wrong?

"Anything that you wear cannot hide how beautiful you are," he murmured, smiling when she began to blush at his compliment. He was being completely honest too. Hermione had grown into a beautiful woman and Draco suspected that motherhood that done that for her. Her hair wasn't the mess it had been while in school, and she had a more pronounced figure. She was beautiful and the thought of another man looking at her… touching her… it made his stomach want to turn itself inside out.

"Thank you," she murmured, smiling. "Now, I didn't know you would be here."

Draco sighed to himself and nodded. "I promised Lysander that I would come and see him so that we could finish reading a book we started the other day."

"Lysander has an amazing memory," Hermione said. They both walked out into the sitting room and she had to smile when her son ran into Kyle's arms and hugged him happily. There was just something so heart warming about her son accepting Kyle as a potential father figure. "No going to bed late, okay?" she asked the room in general.

"Yes, mum," Harry said in a bored voice.

Hermione flashed him a stony look, but then turned to Lysander. "Remember that tomorrow we are going to visit aunty Tonks, so you need to get rest."

"Okay, mummy," Lysander said. Hermione walked over to press a kiss to his cheek and then to Kyle's.

Harry sighed and shook his head. He didn't like Hermione going on that date anymore than Malfoy did, but they both knew that only she would be able to permanently cut McLaggen out of her life. All he regretted was not being present to see the look on the man's face. "Be careful. Remember to keep your wand within reach," he said lightly.

Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek too before grabbing her coat and her purse. "I will. You don't need to worry about me," she assured him before she approached the floo. With one look back at her son and Kyle, she grabbed a handful of powder and called her destination.

When she arrived at the restaurant, she patted off the bit of dust on her shoulders and made a note to clean the hearth in her flat tomorrow morning before going to see Tonks and Isa. It was obvious that Harry wasn't cleaning it after he spent the evenings with the fire going before bed. Her coat was taken from her and Hermione was shown to the table where Cormac was sitting, a bouquet of red roses sitting next to his right hand. Hermione's gaze lingered on the Gryffindor crest sitting on his ring for a moment before she smiled and allowed the man to press a kiss to her knuckles. She didn't even know when would be the best moment to let him down.

"I'm glad to see you," he said, standing and walking over to take her chair from the maître d' since he had followed to seat Hermione.

"How are you, Cormac?" she asked after a quiet 'thank you' to both men.

"Anticipating each moment until I was able to see you again. You look beautiful tonight," said Cormac.

Hermione smiled. "Thank you. Would you like to order dinner now?" she asked.

"What's the rush?" he asked with a frown. "I want to bask in your presence. You have no idea how much I missed this," he said, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles.

Now he was just being dramatic, Hermione thought in slight annoyance. She just shook her head and decided that now was a good as time as any to tell Cormac that they would go no further than tonight's dinner. "Cormac… we need to talk," she said seriously.

At her grave tone, he looked up at her with a frown. "About what?" he questioned.

"About us… about… how I don't see us going anywhere," Hermione said quietly, avoiding his gaze and looking down at their linked hands.

"What are you talking about?" Cormac asked with a scoff. "We're having a nice dinner and talking peacefully, aren't we?"

Hermione locked gazes with him and shook her head. "The reason I accepted to see you tonight was to tell you that we won't go any further than this. I just think that we would be better off as friends."

Cormac's expression tightened in anger, and his grip on her wrist became painful. "I will not continue to play games with you Hermione. You can't decide you want me one minute and drop me the next," he hissed.

Hermione tried to pull against his hand, but his fingers only closed around her wrist more. "I can decided whatever I want because it's my life," she said in an angry tone.

McLaggen surged to his feet and pulled her by the wrist with him. The rattling of the wineglasses and silverware drew the attention of the surrounding patrons, but Hermione's glare was fierce and only for the man in front of her. Cormac started when he felt the tip of something smooth and long under his jaw, jabbing just as painfully as he was holding her.

"Have you forgotten what I am capable of when I feel cornered?" Hermione hissed loud enough for only Cormac to hear, jamming her wand a little for added effect.

Cormac felt his eyes go cold with rage, but he reigned it in, saved it for another moment. Another _person_. "Strong words coming from a _war hero_," he spat the last two words as if he had meant to say "cold killer" instead. "Of course I haven't forgotten who you are. How could I forget someone who murdered so freely in cold blood?" he asked her in a soft, lilting voice.

Hermione stiffened at his words and she tried to draw her hand and wand back, but he only released the vic gri[, and she kept the smooth piece of wood in her hand just in case. "I will forgive that crack because I know that it's my fault that I led you on, but I will not tolerate one more person trying to judge me. Touch me again without my permission and you will know the meaning of pain."

"You're going to come back to me eventually," Cormac said in a quiet tone. "There is something that man is hiding. I haven't figured out what it is, but I know that it involves you. When he breaks your heart, I will be here."

She couldn't believe that Cormac was saying those things to her. "Rest assured that if he breaks my heart, I will know how to deal with it myself. I don't need anyone to lick my wounds for me. Oh, and _McLaggen_? You remember sixth year, when you tried out for the Quidditch team? Guess who _confunded_ you?" she asked with a smirk.

Cormacgrit his teeth and kept a hold on her as she gave him a smug look. There hadn't ever been anything that he hadn't been able to get with the exception of that position in Quidditch while they had been in school, and Hermione herself. He was serious in his thoughts on _Kyle Delaney_. The man was hiding something and Cormac was willing to sell his soul to find out what it was.

"Unhand me," Hermione ordered when he just stood there staring at her. Cormac slowly released her and watched as she took back her wand and grabbed her purse. "I truly never wanted to hurt you. But your attitude from tonight and from the past has shown me that you and I are not compatible and never will be," she said before she walked away briskly, leaving him standing in the middle of the restaurant, trying to ignore the people that were staring.

Cormaccursed to himself. The little show they had put on would no doubt be in the papers come morning. Curse Hermione Granger for holding this kind of power over him. He was in no way ready to give up on her.

……

Hermione resolved to herself to listen to Harry when he told her if he was suspicious of the characters that decied to approach her in a romantic way. He had been right about Cormac, and a few others in the past that she didn't truly remember now. When she arrived at her home, she wondered briefly where Harry was and if her son was already in bed. Everything was quiet and there was only the light in the foyer on to guide her towards the bedrooms. As she opened the door to Lysander's room, she spotted a dark form lying next to him above the warm sheets decorated with blue, fuzzy cats.

She smiled when she realized that Kyle was sleeping next to Lysander, the little boy curled against one of his arms. She took a seat next to Kyle and reached up to brush her fingers against his cheek, smiling when his face tilted towards her touch. Looking at him now, without that handsome, smug expression ever present on his face, he looked younger, more innocent than he looked while awake.

Though his bone structure wasn't as long as Draco's had been, there was still some resemblance there, and it wasn't her mind just trying to grasp onto a memory of the father of her son. She slipped her hand down his arm, towards his own hand, inspecting the simple ring resting on his right hand. She rubbed her thumb over it and was beginning to twist the silver metal band down a little when she jumped as Kyle's other hand settled on her bruised wrist. She hadn't even been aware that McLaggen had hurt her to that point.

"What are you doing?" Kyle asked quietly.

Hermione looked up and was a little surprised to see that she hadn't even noticed that he had removed his arm from Lysander's grip. She had been too immersed in her strange thoughts. "I was just curious about your ring," she replied just as quietly.

He sat up and noticed the way she was biting her lip as he pulled at her wrist. In the near darkness, he couldn't tell that she was bruised, but he could see that there was something bothering her. "We should go outside to talk," said Draco, making sure that his son was sleeping peacefully before he stood and walked Hermione out of the room. "How did it go?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged. "As good as the situation could've been."

"That means that it went bad," Draco said calmly.

Hermione just nodded once and stepped over to Kyle, meeting his eyes and once again feeling mesmerized by the gray looking back at her. "Are you going to break my heart?" she asked him gently, after a comfortable silence had settled around them.

Draco stared at her, his heart beating painfully in his chest. Was he breaking her heart now, while he kept his identity from her a secret? He shook his head. "No. I just… I want to be the only man in your life. I want to share with you and your son. I want to marry you, and make you happy, but only if _you_ allow me to make you happy."

Her heart warmed at his words, and she knew in her heart that she _would _eventually fall in love with him. "I do want to be happy," Hermione said with a smile. "With my son, and with you."

Draco took her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss her knuckles, but the red bruising stopped him before he got the chance. His eyes snapped back to hers, turning a deep, melted steel hue in his anger. "Did he put a hand on you?" he asked darkly.

Hermione shook her head. "We had a near confrontation. You don't need to worry about me," she said quickly.

"But he bruised you," Draco said, almost seething in rage.

"I've had worse, believe me," she said with a note of too much seen, too much experienced in her young years, in her voice.

The reminder of what he had done to her, of being an accomplice to her torture, of healing her and preparing her for another day of hell made him sick to the stomach, and he flinched away from her when her hand touched his cheek. "What if I'm not good enough for you?"

"No one is perfect," Hermione said with a kind smile, bringing his face back towards her so that she could brush a chaste kiss against his lips. "And I should not be on the pedestal that many men want to set me upon. I did things in my past that I'm not proud of. I wonder then… if _I _will be good enough for _you_."

Draco pulled her against his chest into a fierce hug and shook his head. "Don't ever think that you're not good enough. You got through the prejudice of blood, through a brutal war, and you came out on top. You are _more_ than good enough." _You got through years of psychological torture _I _caused, and you got through the physical torture from Voldemort. You've raised our son, and you are still whole, _he continued to think to himself, holding her the way he had never held anyone before, not even his own mother when he had been young.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her face against his neck, smiling at his words. "Thank you… for saying this to me," she said honestly. Especially after Cormac's acidic words to her back at the restaurant. The nightmares would be more than enough punishment for the rest of her life; being judged for the crimes in an open court would never compare to the pain of the guilt she felt. All she could do was live with it and move on with her life.

"Would you and Lysander be willing to go on a vacation with me?" Draco asked her quietly, basking in her scent, in the feel of her, warm and accepting in his arms.

"Where?"

"To my vineyard in France. I'm sure Lysanderwill enjoy his time there, and I'm sure Potter needs some alone time to live a little," Draco said.

Hermione pulled back and nodded, her brown eyes shining up at him in a way that he had only ever dreamed about. "I think we need a change of scenery," she said. _This may be the last time I see a foreign country with the way things are going, _Hermione thought inwardly.

Draco let out a relieved sigh and leaned in to kiss her slowly, running his hands up towards the hair he had mocked and made fun of so many years ago. His long fingers combed through the heavy silk easily and he couldn't think of anything negative to say about them now. "Prepare to go, then. We will leave this Friday morning and will remain as long as you wish."

"Lysander can't miss school," said Hermione in a stern voice.

A smile curled at his lips as he caught a glimpse of the prim bookworm she still was at heart. "We can hire someone to give him classes while we're there."

Hermione raised a curious eyebrow at him. "How long are you planning for us to stay there?"

"Maybe a week or two. We must return for the next hearing," Draco said.

Hermione sighed and nodded. "That sounds okay, I guess. I'll just work with him for an hour or two each day. There won't be a need for a teacher." She looked at Kyle and noticed him smiling fondly. "What?" she asked him suspiciously.

"It's… nothing," he said trailing off. "I believe I must go so that you can get some rest. I will come by early Friday morning to pick you and Lysander up."

Hermione nodded and accepted his kiss easily. Her eyes slid closed as he used lips, tongue, and teeth against her, coaxing small, pleasurable sounds from her throat. Her eyes opened when he pulled back and she felt her heart skip a beat at the all male look he was giving her in that moment. Beneath the desire and the hope for the foture, she could sense a sliver of fear. What if this man took everything she had to offer and really broke her heart in the end? How would she be able to handle one more tragedy in her life? But if anything, she was very much still a Gryffindor at heart. She needed to havecourage and give herself an opportunity to find true happiness. "Have pleasant dreams," she murmured.

Draco leaned in to kiss her one last time. "I will... because I will be dreaming of _you,_" he said before he walked towards the floo and left.

Hermione stood where she was for a moment, his parting words circling her head a few times before she smiled to herself and looked down at her wrist. Despite the skin all around already turning an angry red and purple in the shape of fingers, she didn't feel it could ruin her good mood. Still, she would have to drink a potion for it in order to not have to explain the bruises to Lysander _or_ Harry.

She began to walk to her room, and stopped to give her son a goodnight kiss, running gentle fingers through his silky, brown mop of hair; he would need a haircut soon, she mused absently. The boy just gave a peaceful sigh and turned onto his side, clutching the toy Kyle had given him a few days back. There was no measure to the love she felt for the little being in front of her. From the moment she had known of his existence, she had loved him with all of her being, and Hermione knew that the feeling would never change, no matter what happened. "I'm going to take care of you sweetheart. No one will ever harm you," she vowed, kissing his forehead and lingering there for a moment. Hermione stood and closed the door gently behind her.

She made her way into her room and pulled off her shoes and clothing for a quick shower before bed. She sat in her bed a long while later, looking at her newly healed wrist and after having taken her dreamless potion. From her nightstand, she brought out a picture that Tonks had given to her shortly after Lysander had been born. The image was of Draco, more than likely it had been taken right before the war. He was standing underneath a tree, staring at his shoes and with his hands in his pockets. The wind was blowing his robe and his hair and he looked incredibly handsome, even with the gaunt, pointy features of his youthful face.

She sometimes questioned her feelings for Draco. She had been young, and maybe she had confused feeling gratitude for love. He had saved her life and had died for her. He had shown her only two acts of kindness and nothing more. How could she have gotten love from that situation? Maybe his confession had been what had pushed her over that thin line between love and hate. He had been on the verge of dying when he had tried to tell her that he loved her. Hermione felt a tear run down her cheek and she brushed it away.

The past was in the past and she was moving forward with her life. All that was left was to tell her son who was his father. Only then would she truly be able to move on from Draco's memory. She set the picture back where it had been, underneath various little papers and trinkets in her nightstand and she turned out the lights with a quiet murmur. She pulled the blankets around her and sighed, letting her eyes drift closed. Draco was her past. Kyle was her future.

…………

Harry sighed to himself and removed the wilted flowers from a vase sitting in the grass. Placing a bouquet of fresh sunflowers inside, his eyes strayed towards the name imprinted on the tombstone next to it. He felt his heart skip a beat when he imagined Ginny's smile, or her glare, or her eyes rolling in annoyance over some of his and Ron's foolish antics. He missed her face, her smile, her eyes... he missed her everything.

There was still an aching, gaping hole in his heart where she should've been. For all that he had been and was the hero of the war, the boy who lived, the chosen one, it didn't mean that life had ever been fair with him. What good was fame when the people around him had died? His mother, his father, professor Dumbledore, Ron, and Ginny.

There was peace and calm in both the muggle and wizarding world. Where was his happy ending when the one he loved was gone? "Sorry that I haven't been by in a while," he muttered. "I've been… a living dead man."

A breeze picked up and ruffled his unkempt hair. "I just wanted you to know that there's not a day that I don't think of you, Gin. I can't… Hermione wants me to move on because she's moving on now. I never thought I'd see the day, but if Malfoy found a way to love her, I guess I can find a way to love someone too. I just… I want to know that you're okay with it."

The wind grew a little stronger, but then quieted. Harry wondered if he was losing his marbles, but after entering the wizarding world and battling Voldemort for seven years, nothing was strange anymore. "You won't hate me if I move on?"

The sweet smell of fresh grass engulfed his senses even with he cold weather; the cemetery was magically protected against the frigid cool and snow. "I'll try my best to be happy. But you must know that I'll never forget you. I…" his breathing hitched slightly. "I will always love you. Iwould've asked you to marry me eventually." He smiled slightly and sighed. "Goodbye, Ginny. I promise to come see you soon," he said before standing and slowly walking away. He had already stopped by the graves of his other friends and family, but he knew that it was time to go. He had promised Hermione to be home soon to help her clean the flat.

As he stepped back onto the main path of the burial ground, Harry sighed to himself and glanced casually around. He started when he spotted a familiar face a distance away. If he wasn't mistaken, it was Pansy, standing at Malfoy's fake grave. Debating with himself for a moment, he approached her slowly, noticing the sad look on her pretty face. "Damn you, Draco," Pansy murmured.

"Do you miss him?" Harry asked, startling her. He had to wonder how many people Malfoy was hurting with his secret besides Hermione and Lysander.

Pansy whirled around, startled, and glared at him. "Weren't you taught not to sneak up on people?" she asked in annoyance. At his raised eyebrow, she let out a long sigh and nodded. "Draco… was an important part of my life for a long time," she admitted.

Harry nodded and swallowed when her dark gaze settled on his and held. A smile curled at her plump, pink lips, and Harry found himself watching her in awareness. "I guess we all lost someone important in our lives," he said quietly.

Pansy closed the distance between them and stared up at his green eyes. "I was kind of hoping to find someone else to be in my life the way Draco once was."

He asked out of curiosity. "Did you love him?"

"I think I did. In my delusional, teenage way," she replied with a wry smile. "I'm looking for a real man to love, though. I know that Draco would've become a fine man in time, but there's no use thinking about the 'what ifs' and 'could've beens.' That's all in the past," Pansy said in a low tone. "Now, I'm looking for someone who can be there to take care of _all_ of my needs," she said, eyes slanting in invitation.

Harry shook his head. "I'm not the person you're looking for, Pansy. I'm... like a living ghost, and I haven't been okay in a long time. I can't give you what you want," he replied.

"You shouldn't give up before trying," Pansy said, standing on the tips of her toes to kiss his jaw feather-like. "I don't want a commitment right this minute, but I would like to see what you are capable of," she whispered against his ear.

Harry couldn't hold back the shiver that went through him and he didn't bother to hesitate when her lips pressed to his. She took control, nibbling his lips and tracing them slowly with her tongue before entering withou permission. Harry groaned softly against her and felt his entire being flame with need, something he hadn't felt in years. The tips of her fringe brushed against his cheek and Harry found his hands moving of their own accord towards her waist. Her own hands stopped him though, and she pulled back from the kiss to stare into his dazed, jade colored eyes.

Pansy smiled and traced her finger over his bottom lip, biting her own as she felt him shiver. "Do you mind if we move this somewhere more private?" she murmured against his lips.

He shook his head before he could even voice his words or even think them. Pansy led them towards the apparition point and entwined their fingers before a pulling sensation in his middle took him only a little by surprise. Then he was standing in Pansy's flat, being pulled towards her bedroom. He had a moment of panic and he nearly told her that it was best for him to leave, but she was pushing his coat off of his shoulders, and her hands were already under his shirt, brushing over lean, defined muscle and it made him shiver in anticipation.

How long had it been, since he had felt this type of contact? Too long, apparently. He couldn't think, especially with Pansy's mouth on his neck, her hands tugging at his shirt and then undoing his slacks. The rest was a blur of shivers and sensation, of feeling her warm, smooth body against his and hearing his name come in small moans from her parted lips. She made the sweetest noises he had ever heard, and her body reacted with so much passion to his that it made him feel more alive than he had felt in a long time.

His body was locked against hers, in hers, while his hands clutched at expensive silk, and her own dug into the pliant skin of his back, leaving imprints as the sensations and feeling grew tenfold between them. He had never truly forgotten the dance of flesh so ingrained in his bones, and as the seconds ticked by, his body moved with more precision towards that pinnacle. Pansy had been staring at his face the entire time, watching as his eyes darkened to a dark green and his face became covered in a thin sheen of sweat as he labored against er. Then she was gasping his name against his neck, holding him tightly to her as her body reached its crescendo and took him with her.

Harry shivered, laying above her heavily, mildly embarrassed that it had been over just as fast as it had started. But Pansy was making a content sound that sent him into a long shiver, and Harry closed his eyes as he finally relaxed, his face pressed against the pillow underneath her head. "I'm sorry," he gasped out, feeling her arms tightening around his back in something that felt suspiciously like a comforting hug. "I… I want to give you what you want… but I don't know how long it's going to take me," he whispered against her ear. He felt as if he had used her as a stress and hormone release, and it hadn't even lasted long enough for him to say that at least she had had the time of her life. Except… well she _had _had a good time. He wasn't _that_ selfish.

Pansy smiled and brushed a kiss against the skin under his ear. "I don't mind waiting. Besides, I told you that right now all I need is this. Except, well, I was expecting this to last a couple of hours. Think you can handle that, Potter?" she asked him in a low, challenging tone.

Harry pulled back to look at her in surprise. She wanted to… be with him again? "Am I any good?" he asked in surprise.

Pansy giggled, her cheeks flushed, her dark eyes crinkling at the corners in a most charming way. "For our first time, it was amazing, no matter how short," she said, shifting her hips so that he could feel her a little more differently.

Harry felt his heartbeat quicken and he realized that maybe this wouldn't be such a bad idea. This was what Pansy wanted, and he was more than fit enough to give it to her. Maybe… along the way this passion and want for her could change to something deeper? In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to sink into her and forget everything else. "Okay," he whispered, brushing his lips over her shoulders and collarbone.

"Harry?" Pansy asked in a shaky voice as his hands began to explore slowly. She shivered in anticipation of seeing what Harry Potter was capable of doing.

"Yes?" Harry asked, looking back up at her. She made quite a sight against her lavender colored sheets, her skin pale and smooth, her black hair fanned out beneath her, cheeks flushed, and eyes shiny with her recent release. He also noticed that it was the first time that he heard his first name come from her lips.

"It's okay to let go," she said gently.

Harry let out a long sigh and nodded, moving down to brush her lips with his. "I know," he replied. "I'm going to try."

Everything else could wait for now.

……

"This place is pretty," Lysander said excitedly. "Do you have amin—" he paused with a thoughtful frown coming over his endearing little features. "_Animals_?" he asked after correcting the word and looking at Hermione for confirmation.

Draco smiled and nodded. "I have horses and a couple of dogs. We don't have any horses the size for you, but we can get you one first thing tomorrow morning," he replied, watching as the boy began to jump in excitement.

"I don't think so," Hermione stepped in, smiling a little as Lysander drooped his body in a comical way. "You are _not_ going to get my son a gift that's so expensive."

"Oh, nonsense. If things go my way, he'll eventually be my son, won't he? Allow me to treat him as such!" Kyle said.

Hermione shook her head but didn't stop Kyle when he began to draw her into his arms. They were standing on a huge terrace, overlooking the back of his villa and the vineyard. It was a massive piece of property, and Hermione didn't even want to think about how much money Kyle had in his Gringotts account. Money had never been an issue for her, and it wouldn't matter now. She hadn't bothered to talk to Tonks about the money in Lysander's name that had once belonged to her son's father and grandparents, but Hermione had certainly not forgotten about it. "It's okay to treat him as if he were your son, but it's not okay to win his admiration by buying him things," she said, ruffling the boy's hair. At the dry looks both Kyle and Lysander were giving her, she smiled. "Okay, you can buy him things like books and small toys, but a horse? I don't think so," Hermione said, slowly wrapping her arms around Kyle's neck and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"You have a distracting way of negotiating," said Draco sullenly.

Hermione nodded and smiled. "Why don't you just show us to our room and allow us to unpack?" she asked.

Draco nodded and took her hand as he ushered Lysander to follow them. Hermione observed the interior of his home in amazement. The villa was beautiful on the inside as well as the outside. The inside was made of brick and dark wood, decorated with oranges, reds, and whites. There were contemporary art pieces on almost every wall, as well as copper made sculptures here and there. White roses had been placed in various vases around the home, and it added to the peaceful ambiance.

"This place is beautiful," she told Kyle as they walked.

"Thank you. Most of it was my design, but I passed the ideas on to someone to decorate it for me, and this was the end product," he said, opening a door and showing them in. The room was a large bedroom in the same color scheme as the rest of the house. Though it was connected with another room, with a smaller bed, and for added privacy, a long wooden door could be extended to divide both rooms. The next room though, had been changed into a bedroom for a child Lysander's age. That meant that it had been painted in hues of blue and had been decorated with designs for a boy. Hermione gave Kyle a look and he just shrugged nonchalantly.

"This was just a change to accommodate a guest," he said with a smirk, his gray eyes glinting in amusement.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and didn't say anything more. She turned to her son, who had run into the room to survey it and smiled at his happiness. "Do you like it, sweetheart?"

Lysander nodded excitedly and rushed towards a bookcase roughly his size in height, but twice as long as he was horizontally, filled with brand new books. "Wow, mummy look at this!" he exclaimed, gray eyes alight with happiness as if it were Christmas morning.

"Yes, honey. You'll read through all of them in a matter of days, no doubt," she said with a bemused smile, turning to Kyle. "You really had to do this?"

Draco smiled at the look on her face and nodded. "Get used to it, because as time goes by, I will do all this for you as well," he said, chuckling at her exasperated look. "The roses around the house were brought in just for you."

Hermione couldn't hold back her smile, and it was pulled out of her by the way Kyle was looking at her. "I should get used to it, then?" she asked, eyes narrowing. "I'll fight you every step of the way," she said.

Draco let out a loud laugh and nodded. "I don't doubt that," he said with a smile. "Now come along, let's get some lunch and then I can give you a tour of the outside grounds, and tomorrow we can take a look at the wine making process," he said, taking her hand. "Would you like to have lunch brought to you, Lysander?"

Hermione gave him a look again, but she conceded when Lysander said 'please' and 'thank you,' to Kyle. Her child would not turn into the brat he would've been if Draco had been alive and spoiling him. She had taught her son to have proper manners, and she had given him all that he need—and sometimes all that he wanted—but her baby wasn't spoiled, and she wanted to keep him that way.

As she took a seat at the massive oak table in the dining room, Hermione waited patiently for Kyle to return from the kitchen, where he was having some _free_ elves cook them something quick, she realized that being in a relationship with Kyle was new and exciting. She was even looking forward to developing as a couple—which entailed arguments, and disagreements, she knew—and it was something she truly hadn't allowed herself to do before Kyle had come along. She sighed to herself and wondered what Harry was doing. She just hoped that he was alright and that he wasn't moping in every corner of Hogwarts, the way he had done in the past. Harry was a grown man, and she needed to stop doubting his rationality. Harry would move on when he was good and ready, she knew.

By the time night had fallen, Kyle had retired to his room and Lysander was sleeping peacefully in his unfamiliar bed. But Hermione found herself feeling restless and a little out of place. She wanted to embrace Kyle with all her heart, but a part of her was warning her to be careful, to plan each step before she took it when it came to him and her feelings.

She didn't know why she felt apprehensive now, but she had always been cautious enough. Now would not make any difference. Rubbing her arms over the warm, flannel robe she had brought from home, Hermione shivered a little as the cold breeze drifted through her sleeves and across her neck as she stood outside on the terrace, watching the full moon as it shone over the rows and rows of Kyle's grapevines. There were acres and acres of green, and it was a beautiful sight, especially under the moon.

A noise to her left made her senses come alert, ready to defend herself against anything, old instincts activating. She let out a small sigh when she saw that it was Kyle. He looked at her with a worried frown and pulled his robe tighter around his chest. "Are you okay?" he asked, walking over to stand by her side. He had been about to fall asleep when something had nagged at him to check on Hermione. Lying in his bed, staring at the ceiling had been making him feel a bit out of sorts, especially when he knew tha Hermione was just a few feet away in the bedroom across from him. He had gotten out of bed and after running a hand through his pale, silky hair, he had pulled on his ring and had changed back into Kyle. He was growing tired of his other identity, but it wasn't time to return to who he was. Not yet.

"I'm fine," Hermione said with a smile. "I just couldn't sleep."

Draco reached up to brush her hair away from her ear, pushing the strands back. "Something on your mind?"

"When hasn't there been something on my mind?" Hermione asked with a smirk.

_Touché, _Draco thought inwardly. "I meant… is there something bothering you? Maybe I can help if we talk about it," he said seriously.

Hermione shook her head and leaned it against his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing you should worry about."

"Alright," Draco said lightly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Her brown eyes moved to look at him and he found himself leaning towards her to kiss her. "Don't ever hesitate to tell me if something is on your mind," he said quietly.

Hermione smiled slowly and nodded. "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked in slight confusion, his brows furrowing.

"For coming into my life just when I needed you," she said, her eyes shining with sincerity.

Draco kissed her forehead and shook his head. _Thank _you_, for giving me a son, and a reason to live_, he thought inwardly. "Would you like it if I hold you until you fall asleep?" he offered lightly.

Hermione gave him a thoughtful, measuring look, then nodded. "No funny business, or Harry will kill us," she said in amusement.

Draco scoffed. "Not unless either of us tell him, and I don't know about you, but I have no wish to share my intimate life with Potter."

Hermione gave him a small frown when she imagined Kyle calling Harry, 'Potter,' the exact same way Draco had once upon a time. She knew that it wasn't the first time she had heard him refer to Harry as 'Potter,' but there were times when the _way _he said it made her pause. She shook the little eccentricity away and knew that she had to make an effort to not compare Kyle and Draco anymore. She took Kyle's hand in hers and led him towards her bedroom's sliding door. Once inside, she crawled under the sheets first and watched him hesitate once before following her, pulling her body against his and then the warm blankets around them.

After a long moment of silence, of hearing her breathing even out, Draco tightened his hold on her and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Hermione," he said softly.

"Goodnight… _Draco…_" she trailed off into sleep.

Draco's breath froze in his chest and he stared at Hermione as she slept peacefully. She had called him _Draco_. What did that mean? What did it mean that she had called him by his true name? He shook his head and frowned. His younger self wasn't someone that he had been proud of, but Hermione had managed to feel something for him. Did that mean that she would forgive him once he showed her who he really was?

With all those questions plaguing his mind, he fell into a fitful sleep filled with images of a future that—because of his secrets and lies—seemed to be getting further and further away from him.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Wow, I realized that it had been four months since I updated, so I set to working on this baby all day. I know, but I'm a pretty slow writer, and I'm easily bored, so I take moments to surf the net in between writing. My apologies for taking so long, and I hope that it was worth the wait. Now, going into Harry and Pansy's relationship. I realize that it was a bit rushed for them to jump into bed together, but you have to consider Harry's POV, I don't think he's quite ready to start with a normal, steady relationship, so Pansy is trying to get at him from a different, more _male_ angle. I hope it didn't disturb anyone, but it'll work with future chapters.

Now, thank you for reading and reviewing. I can't remember if I replied to everyone, but if I didn't, know that I'm always thankful to hear your opinions. I'm kind of putting off doing some HW reading to get this chapter out, so show me love people! I will try my very best to get the next chapter out as soon as I can, and I apologize for the errors that I'm sure are there. Thank you for bearing with me and for all the encouragement. There's more DracoHermione to come! Have a great week and take care!

Joey


	8. Waist Deep

_Sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy!_

………………………………

**Waist Deep**

………………………………

Harry sat on the edge of Pansy's bed, with his back to her and stared down at his hands, random thoughts coursing through his head. He had stayed the night, and most of the morning in bed with her, which was incredibly embarrassing, because he didn't even know what time it was now. He couldn't believe that he had allowed himself to stay so long with Pansy. She was incredible, and it was a little safe to say that he had gotten to know her far better than he had originally thought.

He started when a tray of food appeared out of thin air on the table by the window he was facing. His green eyes strayed towards the woman on the bed—tangled in sheets—and he started when he noticed her sleepy gaze trained on him. "Good morning," he said lightly.

Pansy smiled and propped herself on her elbow. "Indeed," she said with a small grin, watching Harry's cheeks color. "There's no need to be shy anymore. I think we got to know each other better than many friends should last night."

"Pansy…"

"Look," she interrupted. "If you're going to start all of the 'not good for you' shite, do it after breakfast," she said, standing in all her nude glory and walking off without shame or embarrassment towards the loo.

Despite the burning on his face, Harry couldn't tear his eyes away from her. He sighed and stared down at his hands, wondering what it was that he was doing. What would Ginny have thought had she been alive? Simple… nothing. He wouldn't have even looked at Pansy twice if Ginny had been around. It was a little sad, but true.

When Pansy stepped out, she was in a silky robe, and her face looked fresh from the recent wash. She walked towards the food and took a seat on the chair nearest to the window. Her eyes perused the food and she finally settled for some fruit and some freshly baked croissants. Harry watched her as she delicately picked at her food, and he found his eyes following her mouth as it savored the bits and her eyes closed at the taste. He swallowed hard and looked away, thankful that his pants and boxers were nearby so that he could use the restroom.

Pansy watched him walk away looking awkward and a little guilty. She rolled her eyes to herself and realized that getting Potter to come back to her and to her bed would take some work and time. She understood what it felt like to lose the closest people you loved, but she genuinely wanted to get to know him on a more intimate level aside from a physical one. She let out a soft sigh and brushed her dark hair behind her ear, tapping her chin in thought.

She hadn't ever imagined that behind the unassuming man that had wanted nothing to do with fame, there was a man with a burning touch and with unbridled passion. She just had to coax it out of him and then just sit back and enjoy the ride. Pansy's eyes moved towards the door he had disappeared behind as it opened and Harry stepped out. She felt a smile curl at her lips when she saw that he decided to leave his shirt off as he joined her, taking the seat across from her at the small table.

"I'm now asking for much," she said quietly, after a moment of silence.

Harry paused in his quest for a baked treat and nodded once, staring at her expensive rug, soft beneath his bare feet. "I guess… that's good, because you know that there's not much I can offer you at this moment."

Pansy offered him a smile. "For now it's good enough for me. I can be patient. But… you have to promise that you'll make the effort to let me in, even a little."

Harry looked up at her and was amazed at the fact that she was turning out to be one of the most understanding people he had known. She had been obnoxious and trailing after Malfoy back when they had been in school, but there seemed to be no trace of the girl she had once been. She was beauty and fervor wrapped into a smooth, curvy, and exotic package. He could see himself with her easily and it scared him. His only fear now would be how Mrs. Weasley would take this. He didn't need to tell her right away, did he?

"There's no rush to make anything public," Pansy said calmly, as if reading his thoughts. "It'll be our little secret." She set down her plate and stood, moving to stand between his parted knees. "Okay?" she asked, dragging his face back by her fingers in his hair.

Harry stared up at her and nodded as best he could, swallowing hard as her lips lowered to nibble on his. His hands slipped up her hips of their own accord and he felt his body begin to react to her. Where was all of this desire for Pansy coming from? Harry wondered, his green eyes slipping closed as her lips and teeth slid over his.

He supposed that there would be time enough to figure it out later. For now, he was more curious to figure out whether she tasted like strawberries or cherries.

……

Gray eyes surveyed the situation with an intelligence far beyond his age and a bit of confusion. His mommy wasn't married. Why was Kyle in her bed then? Did that mean that he would be his new daddy? Lysander frowned to himself and crawled quietly onto the bed, laying down on the other side of his mother. He looked at her and then reached up to hold her nose closed.

Hermione slapped at what was impeding her breathing and finally began to wake. Her eyes blinked slowly and she started in surprise when she saw that Lysander was sitting in front of her, while Kyle slept at her back, wrapped snugly around her. "Good morning, sweetie. What are you doing here?" she asked him slowly.

"Morning, mummy. What's he doing here? Are you two getting married?" he asked, gray eyes curious, under his disheveled mop of chestnut hued hair.

Hermione felt a smile tug at her lips and shook her head. "No, sweetie. Kyle and I are friends. We were just… keeping each other company. You know… the way uncle Harry keeps us company sometimes?"

There was a derisive snort from behind her, and Hermione realized that Kyle was now awake. "Did you honestly just compare me to a man you think of as a brother?" he asked her smartly.

Hermione hid a smile. "It's what Lysander needs to know and can understand at this moment," she explained.

"Were you making a baby?" Lysander asked eagerly.

"Wh-what… sweetheart, what are you talking about?" Hermione sputtered.

"Tommy said that when adults sleep together in a bed, a stork delivers a baby," said Lysander matter-of-factly.

"Honey, no. That's not how adults have babies," Hermione said in mortification. Her baby was asking her questions she wasn't ready to answer just yet and it was freaking her out. For the love of Merlin, he was _four! _"Adults need to get married in order to have a baby."

Silvery eyes were still curious and filled with questions. "Did you marry my daddy?"

It was a question she was at a loss to answer. She couldn't lie to him, but she couldn't very well tell him the truth. He would know the story behind his conception and birth once he was old enough. He wouldn't be able to understand it now.

Draco's eyes merely narrowed and he watched his son over Hermione's shoulder. "Do you want your mother and I to get married?" he asked softly.

Hermione averted her gaze from her son and didn't turn to look at Kyle either. It was a loaded question with an answer that she couldn't figure out just yet either. She looked at her son and the boy smiled brightly, his little nose scrunched up adorably. "I like having Kyle as my daddy," he said.

"Maybe sometime soon you'll get your wish," Draco murmured, brushing a kiss over Hermione's temple.

She smiled to herself and looked at her son. "Don't listen to anything else this Timmy tells you," Hermione said seriously.

The boy giggled. "His name is Tommy." Lysander slipped into her arms.

Hermione hugged him tightly, tickling him and hearing his wonderfully sweet laughter. "Did you wash your face and brush your teeth?" she asked him.

"Yes, mummy. Are we going to ride the horses again today?" Lysander asked eagerly, already forgetting all of the questions that had completely thrown Hermione so early in the morning.

"We'll have to ask Kyle," she said lightly.

Pleading gray eyes moved towards Draco. "Can we, please?" he asked, climbing over Hermione and jumping into Kyle's arms.

Hermione sat up in the large bed and turned to see Lysander in full use of the puppy-eyed look, complete with a pout. She shook her head and put her face in one of her hands. "Uncle Harry and I are going to have words when we get back," she mumbled.

Draco gave her a quizzical look, which she missed, and turned back to his son who was giving him the most adorable look he had ever seen. Was there anything that he wouldn't be willing to give to the child in his arms? "If you eat everything for breakfast today, we'll go on the horses. But you must eat a serving of fruit and some oatmeal as well. Yes?"

Hermione looked at him again and smiled at the ease in which his fatherly side came through with a child that wasn't his own. What would he say if he knew who Lysander's father really was? Would he judge her? Would he be like McLaggen and discriminate for the blood running through an innocent's veins?

"Okay!" Lysander cried happily, hugging Kyle in excitement. "Can we get breakfast now?"

Kyle nodded and sat up, pulling Lysander into his arms. "Come on. Let's go see what the elves are making for breakfast while mummy does whatever she needs to do alone," he said, winking at Hermione before walking out of her room.

Hermione watched them go with a content smile on her face and felt her heart flutter in her chest. She hadn't felt this way before, not even with Ron, who was resting in peace. If life was giving her a chance to be happy, after so much loss and so much guilt, then she was very much willing to take this opportunity. She wanted to know what true love was, and Kyle was also offering it to her on a silver platter. He got along with Lysander, and he didn't judge her for who she had been. He wasn't a bad man and as far as she could tell, he had no secrets. Hermione got out of bed, with a more positive outlook on life than she had ever remembered having, and made her way to the restroom to begin her morning rituals.

She slipped into a pair of jeans and a warm sweater shirt and tied up her mass of curls into a ponytail before she walked towards the kitchen. Kyle and Lysander were already seated at the breakfast table, Kyle smearing cream cheese onto a bagel, and with her son sipping on his orange and carrot juice. She took a seat next to Lysander and smiled at him as he kicked his legs under the table with a happy grin.

"Mummy, your hair is funny," Lysander commented, giggling.

Hermione glared at Kyle when he forced back a snort of laughter and pretended to drink from his coffee. The liquid burned his upper lip and Hermione smirked. "Serves you right," she said primly, pushing her unruly fringe away from her eyes.

Draco couldn't deny that seeing her mass of huge curls brought back many memories from Hogwarts. Unfortunately, not many of them were happy memories. They usually involved a lot of insults hurled at the future mother of his child; the memories didn't sit well with him anymore. What he wouldn't have given to go back in time and slap some sense into his younger self.

After breakfast was done, Draco and Lysander went of to get into comfortable clothing before heading out towards the opposite side of where the vineyards stretched out. There was a horse stable filled with beautiful pureblood horses. Lysander had instantly fallen in love with a beautiful black stallion, but Draco knew that he'd have to breed him in order to get his son a pony to grow at his rate. He saddled the horse up himself and then picked out a mellow mare, the color of a silky golden brown, for Hermione. He caught himself from comparing the horses with Buckbeak, since he had known Hermione had ridden on the creature before. He needed to be cautious on the things he said around her because any little detail concerning his adolescence would easily give him away.

He helped Hermione on first, and then placed Lysander on the saddle before levering himself up behind his son. "More confident today?" he asked Hermione.

She nodded and pulled on the reins, following him and Lysander at a slow trot. "Won't you tell me a little about your family?" Hermione asked him quietly, keeping an eye on their surroundings.

Draco was silent for a moment, gathering his thoughts and the story he had begun to concoct in his own head for when Hermione asked to know more about him. He knew that he was waist deep now and that the more lies he told her, the harder it would be for her to forgive him, but he was in too deep and there was no going back anymore.

"My parents died not too long ago," he started. He would only distort his own past in a way that would make her less curious about how he had grown up. "They weren't always supportive of who I was."

"You mean a Wizard?" Hermione asked.

He hated himself for continuing with the lies, but it had to be done. "As difficult as it is to imagine, yes."

Hermione mulled that over for a bit. She couldn't imagine what her life would've been like if her parents hadn't been there for her every step of the way. All the way to their deaths, they had loved her and accepted her. She felt her eyes tear up at the memory of her parents laughing and smiling on the last anniversary that they had ever celebrated.

"Are you alright?" Draco asked her in worry, allowing Lysander to take the reins.

She let out a long breath and nodded. "I just… miss my parents."

"…How did they die?" he asked, because he supposed that Hermione expected him to.

It took Hermione a moment to swallow her tears and then choke out her answer. "They were murdered."

"I'm sorry," Draco said, and he found that he very much meant it. After all, he'd been on Voldemort's side back then. "I can't begin to imagine what that must've felt like." He stretched out his left hand and Hermione took it gratefully in one of her own. Their eyes met as he pulled her arm towards him, brushing his lips across her knuckles.

Hermione smiled and felt a blush bloom on her cheeks at the look he was giving her. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a little bird and she could already feel it letting down its defenses. She suspected that it wouldn't be long before she was completely in love with Kyle. Releasing his hand, she took back the reins of her mare and they continued their little excursion until they passed his vineyard, and walked up a trail and over a hill. There was a beautiful lake on the other side.

They stopped at the very edge of the lake and Draco hopped off of his horse before helping his son and then Hermione down. He took the horses and walked over to tie their reins off on a low branch on a nearby tree. Both he and Hermione took a seat on the grass and in the shade, watching Lysander as he began to collect different sized twigs and admire the lizard he had just discovered.

"So… how many girls have you brought here before?" Hermione asked him in a playful tone.

Draco let out a genuine chuckle and shook his head. "None. Don't look at me like that," he said in amusement. "If I'm honest with you, there hasn't been a serious woman in my life for quite some time."

"After who?" She was honestly curious to know more about him and his past now.

He stared at her dumfounded. What was he supposed to make up for that question? "She… she and I didn't get a chance to delve deeper into a relationship. I… had to leave, and I never saw her again," Draco said quietly, unable to meet Hermione's soft, brown eyes. He stared at their son instead and noticed that the boy was still watching the sunbathing lizard on a rock with keen interest.

"Did you love her?" she questioned carefully.

"I don't know," he said honestly. I love her now, he mused to himself. "But you're my present now," Draco said quietly, reaching up to brush his fingers over her jaw.

Hermione smiled slowly and leaned towards him so that their lips could meet in a light, chaste kiss. Cupping her jaw, he deepened the kiss a little, still mindful of their child nearby, and felt Hermione sigh gently against him. "I want you to love me," he murmured against her lips, feeling them quirk up in a smile.

Her dazed eyes opened and gazed into his pale gray ones. For once his eyes didn't remind her of Draco. "I think that slowly but surely we're getting there," she admitted with a shy smile.

Draco felt a bitter twinge race through his heart when reality came crashing down. Of course she wasn't in love with _him_. She was falling in love with _Kyle._ Maybe he had doomed himself to live the life of a man who in all reality did not exist. Someone who had been alive for only five years now. Instead of replying to her words and letting her know that he was very much in love with her already, he kissed her again.

"Yucky…" came Lysander's voice from nearby.

Hermione and Draco came apart and looked at the boy, but he wasn't looking at them. He was staring down at the lizard. "What happened, sweetheart?" she asked him.

"I tried to grab him and his tail fell off. Didn't it hurt?" Lysander asked, eyes wide.

Draco—Kyle, he had to think of himself as _Kyle_—shook his head. "It's the way he protects himself. If a bigger animal grabs him by the tail, it falls off and the lizard can get away. He'll grow it back in a couple of days," he replied to his curious son.

Lysander looked fascinated. "Mummy, can we get a lizard when we get back home?"

Hermione made a face. "I don't think so, honey. Who is going to clean its home, and feed it, and make sure that Periwinkle doesn't eat him?"

Kyle was giving her an incredulous look. "I've never heard of a cat that eats lizards," he said dryly.

Hermione shook her head. "If he was capable of drinking the potion that turned him blue, there's a possibility that he'll eat a lizard if he gets the chance."

He ended up chuckling and motioning their son over. "How about you wait for Periwinkle to be a little older before you get another pet?" he asked diplomatically.

Lysander gave them both a pouty face. "But—!"

"No 'buts,' love. Both you and Periwinkle aren't old enough to have another pet. Why don't we head back so that you can play with the dogs in the garden?" Hermione asked instead, getting to her feet and offering her son a hand. He took it and stood, still looking as if he wanted to argue, but he stayed quiet and surly.

Draco stood and hid a smirk at the expression on Lysander's face. Though it irked him to think about his own father, the look on the boy's face very closely resembled Lucius, and consequently him. Lysander was a Malfoy through and through, and despite his thoughts, it made him proud as a father. "We can go swimming later too, if you'd like. I didn't show you where we had the indoor pool," he said in a cajoling tone.

Lysander's features brightened and a smile came quickly to his face. "Yes! Mummy, can we go swimming please?" he asked, jumping in place.

Hermione nodded. "Sure we can, sweetie. Let's get back and see if I remembered to pack up our swimsuits," she said.

"And how about we have homemade pizza for dinner?" Draco asked.

Hermione gave him a dubious look. "You know how to make pizza?"

"I tried a few times before and it doesn't come out so bad. I'll be happy to show the both of you how to make it," he said, lifting Lysander up so that he could sit on the saddle of the horse on his own.

Hermione untied the reins to both horses, and together she and Kyle began to walk back down the path. "You're too good to us, you know," she said quietly.

Draco smiled to himself and nodded. "It's because I want you and Lysander to be my family. I've been alone for a long time. I'd like to be Lysander's father, and I would like to be the one man who holds your heart. That's only if you allow me to, of course."

Hermione nodded and gave him a bright smile. "We still have a lot to get to know about each other, but I'm willing to give our relationship a try. I've been alone for a long time too, with the exception of Harry, but he's my brother and companion. My heart is calling for something more," she said quietly.

Draco wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple, trying to keep his heart from bursting in his own chest. It hurt to know that he couldn't show himself for who he really was, but he desperately wanted to. The aftermath of the war, the death of his parents, the birth of his son, it had all shaped the man that he was now. There were no traces of the spoiled, arrogant boy who had known nothing of the world and what it meant like to truly love someone. Not until Granger and the boy sitting astride a horse had walked into his life.

"Will I get to call you daddy?" Lysander interrupted his thoughts.

Draco smiled and noticed the careful look on Hermione's face. "Yes. If your mother says it is okay with her, you can call me daddy."

Hermione looked at him in pleasant surprise and then smiled, leaning over to brush her lips against his cheek. Her eyes were glassy, but they held no traces of sadness. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Draco nodded and looked away from her beautiful face. He had to come clean soon, before he lost Hermione and Lysander for sure.

…

Blaise Zabini has always been one for making grand entrances and _unannounced. _He and his best mate Malfoy had always had a flair for the dramatic, and so as he came through the floo of his villa in France, he opened in arms in a grand gesture. He rolled his eyes when he realized that no one had been around to see it. He looked around and heard noises coming from the kitchen.

"Hey… your one true love is here!" he said with a smirk. He pushed open the swinging door and the man's real last name fell from his lips. "Ma—" his eyes bugged out when Granger and her son looked over at him curiously. "Ma…te…" he recovered lamely, noticing the death glare on _Kyle's _face.

Hermione looked from Blaise to Kyle in surprise. "I didn't know you two were friends," she said inquisitively.

Draco cleared his throat and nodded. "We met before the opening of his restaurant. Blaise was kind enough to give my wine a try and aside from being friends, we're business partners," he said smoothly.

Blaise looked at the boy sitting on the counter, his cheeks covered in flour and his bright gray eyes giving him a look full of intelligence. He was like a mini-Granger with Malfoy's face and his mother's colors. He found himself grinning at the sight of the kid. "This is your boy?" he asked the room in general.

Draco said nothing as Hermione nodded and smiled. "He's Lysander," she said, voice filled with pride.

"Nice to meet you," said Blaise, offering the boy his hand. The kid smiled and took it, shaking it like the little Malfoy that he truly was. "Sorry to barge in. I didn't know you were entertaining guests," he said to Kyle.

"I left a note at the office," Draco said in a bored tone.

Blaise shrugged. "I imagined you were just overseeing your vineyard. Again, sorry for barging in. I guess I should go," he said, turning towards the door.

"We're making pizza. Can't he stay mummy?" Lysander asked Hermione.

Hermione looked at Kyle and he nodded. "Why don't you stay and try the disaster that Lysander calls a pizza?" she asked.

Blaise stopped at the door. "Uh… sure. I suppose I can stay and have dinner, but then I must be on my way. I do have plenty of ladies waiting for me back in London," he said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Some things never change, do they?" Hermione asked, grabbing a cloth and wetting it before setting about cleaning Lysander's cheeks.

"I guess they don't," Blaise said, his eyes on Kyle.

Kyle's smile was tight as he looked at his old friend. "Why don't you two get started on frosting the cake while I speak to Blaise in private," he said.

"Sure," Hermione said with a puzzled look on her face.

"Business," Blaise explained before walking with Draco towards his office.

Once they were in the room, Draco put up silencing wards and locked the door to make sure they weren't interrupted. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Draco snapped. "You were about to give up my real identity to Hermione and my son!"

Blaise scoffed. "Take off that ridiculous getup when you're trying to yell at me," he said in a snarky tone.

Draco pulled off the ring and instantly his pale complexion and nearly white blond hair came into view, followed by the shifting of his features to his normal face. He was beginning to forget what he even looked like, he thought wryly. He ran an agitated hand through his short hair. "Remind yourself to call me _Kyle_. If you call me Malfoy again before I'm ready to tell them who I really am, I will burn you to cinders and then process you into my wine."

Blaise smirked and knew that Draco had long since forgotten how to be evil. "I never did care for what the Prince of Slytherin had to say. You've lost that evil touch, too," he said, taking a seat in his chair.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked, letting out a long breath and sitting in his large, leather chair.

"This is getting complicated. You need to just get it over with and accept the consequences," Blaise said quietly.

Draco nodded. "I know. But… I want more time with them. Once I tell them who I am, there's a great possibility that Hermione will hate me and that I won't ever get to see my son."

Blaise sighed. "You're in deep shit my friend. Which is precisely why you should do it now. Later will only make it worse."

"Yes, I know," Draco replied absently. "I'm going to tell her on her birthday."

"Happy-fucking-birthday," Blaise said with a scoff.

"I know," Draco muttered to himself. "Why did you come?" he asked, getting back to the point.

Blaise shrugged. "Pansy has kept Potter in her flat since you've had Granger and the kid here. She's usually my drinking buddy as well as my fuck-buddy, but I guess I need to go out and find new ones of both."

Draco smirked. "Jealous?"

Blaise shook his head. "No. But I am bored."

"Well, go be bored somewhere else. I have a family to win over," Draco said, standing and placing the ring back onto his finger. Kyle came back to his face and he was scowling fiercely.

"You have a charming kid. Remember that he invited me to stay and have dinner. A polite Malfoy; never thought I'd live to see that day. He's nothing like you or your old man," Blaise said as they walked out of the office, effectively shattering the wards.

"I'll take that as the compliment that it is," Draco said.

Blaise just smirked and nodded, walking into the kitchen with his old friend in time to see Hermione tickling Lysander, and the boy's face now covered in chocolate frosting. "He looks like someone I used to know," he said casually.

Hermione froze and turned to look at the both of them, noticing the twitch in Kyle's eyebrow. "I'm sure he does," she said coolly, turning back to her son and giving no other comment.

Draco covertly brandished his wand at Blaise and the other man just smirked. "Why don't you go down to the cellar and pick out a good vintage wine?" Kyle asked pointedly.

"Right," Blaise said before he disappeared.

Draco walked over to slowly wrap his arms around her slim waist, relief flooding him when she leaned back into him. "Is that cake ready?"

Lysander nodded happily. "It's already in the regrigerator."

"Re_frigerator_," Hermione corrected with a smile as Kyle kissed the side of her neck and her shoulder gently.

"We'll have to find a way to come back on our own one of these days. At least for only one night," he murmured against her ear.

Hermione's cheeks colored at the implication of his word and nodded. "I'll get Harry to baby-sit."

Feeling his heart pound away in his chest at the thought of being alone with her and in a place that had been his home for a long time, he nodded and kissed her cheek before stepping back as Blaise's footsteps echoed up the steps of the cellar.

Dinner was a nice, pleasant affair and Blaise actually shared intellectual conversations with Hermione about the economy, the history of ancient runes—which nearly put both Draco and Lysander to sleep—and lastly about the war crimes bill. Blaise was completely on her side and for that, Hermione was grateful. She had to excuse herself from the table when Lysander nearly fell asleep on his slice of cake. She carried her son into the room Kyle had given to him.

She changed him into his favorite pajamas and smiled when he barely even stirred. Placing him in the sheets of his bed, which warmed magically, Hermione brushed the silky hair from Lysander's forehead, feeling inmesurable love course through her for her son. He'd had a tiring day, after swimming, playing with the dogs and rolling in the dirt in a contest to see which one of them could get the dirtiest, and then helping Kyle knead the dough for the pizza. It was a miracle he had remained awake for so long.

"Mummy, will you tell me a story about daddy?" Lysander asked sleepily.

Hermione started in surprise; she had been so sure that he had been asleep. "Not tonight, honey. But soon, I promise you. I'll even show you pictures of him."

"Really?" he asked with a hopeful smile.

Tears gathered in her eyes. "Yes, sweetie. When we get back home, you'll be able to finally know what your father looked like." Her son settled back into sleep and Hermione stood, nearly jumping out of her skin when she realized that Kyle was standing in the doorway. He looked a little pale, and she gave him a worried frown. "Are you alright?"

Draco nodded numbly. "Yes. Fine. I think I just had a bit too much wine," he said, as calmly as possible. He couldn't very well try to convince her to not show their son pictures of him, but… but then the boy would blurt out that he had seen him and he and Potter wouldn't be able to stop the disaster that would come.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed against his shoulder. Draco closed his eyes and relished in the feel of her in his arms. "I think I'm ready to tell my son who his father is," she whispered.

Draco swallowed hard and nodded. "Whatever you decide to do, I will be here for you." She smiled gratefully and moved up to brush their lips together in a sweet, wine flavored kiss. Draco kissed her back slowly, his blood burning, but his fear escalating. He needed to talk to Potter and soon.

…

…

…

…

…

…

I know, not much happened in this chapter, except more and more clues and maybes. Also, it was disappointingly short, but we're getting to the action, don't worry. We're closing in on Hermione finding out who Kyle really is, but it'll be a surprise that no one will expect. Either way, I hoped everyone enjoyed the fluff and the touch of sensuality in the beginning there. I'm very much aware that I only replied to about half of the reviews and I'm really sorry, just don't think that I don't appreciate your words because I do. Time just hasn't been on my side and I'm still in school. I won't have a complete vacation until mid-July, so updates will still be slow. But at least I didn't take four months again, right…? …_right?_

Anyway, I do want to thank you all for reading and reviewing: ShadX a.k.a Shady a.k.a Shade, Laguna, aquamarine04, David Fishwick, Ardastra, , Robyn Hawkes, sailorV, ChermaineisAwesome, Weaselbee, Terry Moon, imsimplyme, klpulzone, Avanell, tfobmv18, my-favorite-name, Zethinka, tigger2025643119, peaceloveberries, shaberry, MisZHPLoVeR, mentarisenja, softballgal93, hawk Lawson. You all have my gratitude for being patient and for taking the time to review my work. Have a great weekend everyone and don't forget to let me know what you thought of this chapter!

Joey

P.S. Apologies for any errors that are bound to show up. I will get to them as soon as I can. Have a good one!


	9. A Moment of Absolution

Special, special thanks to everyone who reviewed in this span of time: Robyn Hawkes, Avanell, David Fishwick, tfobmv18, Jenn Hoffmann, blueskyshymoon-olgameisterfunk, Lady Saruman, margaritama, kay-masen, the-clumsy-one, Zekintha, ShadX - Shadow Elf, Weaselbee, Monica Fernandez, ChermaineisAwesome, Ardastra, Iris Belle, avchocaholic, SquishyGirl, dramionefan123, Bahado, minuscule, MisZHPLoVeR, Laguna, samora, bangag pa, Sagirlatheart, Shlayne, Shabell, dramione12, Ishtart, AmandaFray.

I know I said I wouldn't take long again, but life, school, and my muse had other ideas. Please enjoy because this chapter is longer than the last!

……………………………………

**A Moment of Absolution**

……………………………………

Harry watched Malfoy pace around the living room of his and Hermione's flat and sighed to himself. They really did have a problem on their hands and with no obvious solution. "I guess all we can do is try to convince her that Lysander isn't ready to know who his father is."

"But he does want to know," Draco said in agitation. "How can I deny that boy more than what I already have?"

He had a point, Harry mused silently. They were _both _denying Lysander so much with their silence; he didn't think that Hermione would be the only angry one. The child may not have understood as much as an adult, but as he grew, he would question why his father had stayed away for so long. And why his uncle Harry hadn't said anything about him either.

"Malfoy, maybe you have to start to consider telling her as soon as possible. The shit is about to hit the fan, and when it does, there's no telling what Hermione will do. There's still a chance that she'll allow you to be a part of Lysander's life, but at the rate things are going, I doubt she'll let you be in hers."

Draco felt queasy at the possibility of Hermione never forgiving him. It was something he had constantly thought about, since he had awoken from his coma, but back then he had been legally forced to remain silent. He had been absolved and nothing was stopping him now. "I just… damn it… I need a bit more time with her. If I'm going to lose her, I want to…" he trailed off, cutting off his vulnerable words.

Harry remained quiet, his eyes straying towards a picture of Hermione and Lysander sitting outside in the snow, right next to their snowmen counterparts; the child's had a crooked smile and a ridiculous red top hat on its head. "I won't interfere, but if I see that at any moment things are getting too out of hand, I will tell her myself."

Draco sneered, and it was reminiscent of their Hogwarts times, but the expression fell quickly. "Sabotage any of her attempts."

"How?" Potter asked dubiously.

"Burn the pictures, make them disappear if she gets her hands on any," said Draco. "I'll stop Tonks from providing them, but she'll be able to get images of me anywhere else."

Harry looked like he wanted to protest, but then nodded. "Won't be easy to fool her if more than one picture disappears."

"Blame it on the cat," Draco said dryly. Then his eyes narrowed. "What are you getting into with Pansy?"

Green eyes flashed with a challenge. "I don't question your relationship with Hermione. Don't question mine."

"Is that what it is between you and Pansy? A relationship?"

Harry's cheeks reddened out of anger and embarrassment. "No… I mean… we're going to…" he trailed off and glared harder. "I am not going to discuss this with you."

"As long as she doesn't turn out to be just a shag to you, Potter. I don't take kindly to the people I care for getting hurt," the blond said in a threatening tone.

"Neither do I," Harry replied, voice reflecting the same emotions.

They stared each other down for a moment until they had a silent understanding. Neither wanted to hurt their respective witch, but they knew that it was a big possibility that it would happen anyway. Potter rubbed a hand over his face. "You should go. Hermione and Sonny will be here soon." The endearment slipped out and Harry didn't miss the resentment that flashed through Malfoy's eyes for only a second.

"Fine. I'll see you all for the next hearing," Draco said, walking towards the floo.

Harry felt his breathing shorten slightly at the mention of the War Crimes hearing, but he shook his head and took and slowly released a long breath. "Watch yourself," he said by way of goodbye.

Malfoy just nodded once before he was gone in a burst of green flames. Harry sat down on his favorite armchair and placed his head in his hands, elbows on his knees. The situation with Malfoy was taking a toll on his own patience, and Harry was dreading the moment in which Hermione would find out the truth. Just the thought of the last person he loved and cared for hating him, it made his heart ache pitifully in his chest. How would he be able to live without Hermione and Lysander?

_You have Pansy now_, his brain reminded him. Yes, but for how long? How long would she have the patience to wait for him to finish grieving? Sure, she said that the sex was good and all that she wanted now, but Harry knew from experience that it wouldn't be enough. Especially for a woman like Pansy who'd always had everything she wanted.

Damn it if his life wasn't even more of a mess now than it had been. Harry just sighed to himself and stood to make a couple of sandwiches for when Hermione and Lysander arrived from school. He needed to clear his head from the storm looming in the distance. It would arrive sooner or later and he would enjoy every bit of peace he could before it happened.

……

Hermione frowned to herself when she touched Lysander's forehead for the second time under an hour and realized that his temperature had hiked up a few degrees. He had returned from school with the sniffles, but it had only gotten worse and her son was now laying in his bed with a fever.

Harry stepped in with the potion she had asked him to get and a spoon. "The medi-witch at the dispensary told me that if his fever doesn't go down within the hour, that you'll need to get a Healer to see him since it could be a strain of Wizard cold and not the muggle one we're used to."

The brunette sighed in consternation as bleary gray eyes stared back at her. She smiled softly. "Sweetie, you need to drink this to feel better, okay?"

Lysander made a face but just nodded and accepted the potion she placed into his mouth. He almost gagged but swallowed it down without a complaint, which spoke volumes for how bad he felt. "I wanna sleep," he muttered, clutching the stuffed bear Kyle had traded with him.

"Okay, you sleep and mummy will do her best to make you feel better, okay?" Hermione asked. He seemed to not have heard her, since he was already asleep thanks to the effects of the potion.

Placing a wet cloth over his forehead once more, Hermione counted the minutes until she began to feel the temperature on Lysander's little forehead as it lowered slowly. She let out a silent breath, but the fear wasn't gone. She had to remind herself sometimes that she was a first time mother and that she couldn't know everything.

Still, with her reputation, she _should've _known everything there was to know about the so called "Wizard Cold." Lysander's teacher had enlightened her to it, though she hadn't said it to scare Hermione. The only difference between both was that the Wizard Cold was that it affected only children who were beginning to demonstrate their magical abilities and that the fever could last far longer than a normal cold. That was why it was required for a Healer to see the child and possibly hospitalize them as a precaution. "If his fever isn't gone in a few hours, I'll take him to Mungos," she said to Harry.

Her best friend nodded in understanding, but he frowned at the tired look on her face. "You haven't eaten anything, why don't you have a sandwich while I watch over his temperature?" Harry asked her.

Hermione nodded and thanked him before walking towards the kitchen to eat the lunch Harry had prepared. Though her maternal side hadn't wanted to leave her son for even a second, her more rational side told her that she wouldn't be able to help Lysander if her defenses fell and she got sick as well, even if she couldn't catch what the boy had.

She stood at the counter and ate a ham sandwich that was complete with lettuce, provolone cheese—her favorite—and sans tomatoes—her least favorite vegetable. She sipped on her orange juice and decided to wait a while before she owled Kyle to let him know that Lysander was sick and that of course they would have to cancel their date.

Hermione knew that he wouldn't have a problem and that he would want to know if her son was okay. It had truly surprised her to see how attached her boy was to him and vice versa. Was it too perfect that the man she was having her first real relationship with was amazing with her son? He was just too good to be true! Despite the situation, a smile spread over her lips before it wilted and she returned to Lysander's side just to see Harry replacing the cool cloth.

"Any change?" she asked.

Harry sighed. "Temperture is holding at the same place. I don't think it's going to lower, otherwise it already would've," he said quietly.

"I should take him to St. Mungos now," she said, getting to her feet, approaching Lysander's bureau and pulling out a blanket from the lowest drawer.

"Give the potion a few minutes. If it doesn't go down in an hour, I'll go with you, okay?" Harry asked, reassuring.

Hermione forced her panic down and nodded. "If it starts to rise, we go."

Harry nodded, getting to his feet. "I'll go contact Pansy," he muttered, his cheeks coloring.

"Really now, for what?" Hermione asked curiously, a smirk pulling at her lips.

"She wanted me to go to lunch with her, but I wouldn't feel comfortable. I'll be thinking about Sonny the entire time," Harry said.

"You'll have to invite her to dinner with us one of these nights, Harry," said Hermione calmly.

"Right," Harry said before he was out the door.

Hermione chuckled to herself and pulled a rocking chair to her son's bedside so that she could sit and watch over him. She waved her wand over his body to keep an eye on his temperature before she leaned back to rock herself and watch him as he slept. Little noises were leaving him and Hermione realized that it pained her just as much to hear her boy in so much discomfort and pain because of the fever. If she could've, she would've transferred all the pain he had ever felt into her own body, but she knew it was a foolish thought. Lysander had to grow and learn from his bumps and scrapes and she couldn't stop him or protect him.

It was when he slept that he looked like Draco, she thought and not for the first time. The look of seriousness always fell over his tiny face, even when he was sick, and it was only interrupted by the occasional grimace. She cooled the cloth with water again and settled it over his forehead.

Sometimes she swore that the only thing stopping her son from looking like a complete Malfoy was his hair color, but when he was awake, he always managed to remind her of her own father. The sadness fell over Hermione the way it normally would many times a day, but it was dimmed by her worry over her child. If anything ever happened to him, there would be no one in this world who would be able to save her from going crazy, not even Kyle, but… Hermione shook her head. She was jumping the gun. There was no need to panic, especially when she noticed that Lysander's fever was slowly receding.

Still, she had known cases when the Wizard Cold had been deadly for children if the parents didn't get it treated on time, and she didn't know whether to overreact and take him to St. Mungos or just have a little patience, the way Harry had said. Tapping her fingers against the armrest of the rocking chair, Hermione instead walked out quickly to gather a medical book and then sat down to read up on the sickness her son had more than likely come down with. There was no better time than now to get some light reading done, she mused, eyeing her boy once more.

…………

Draco was pacing his home office, ignoring the finances he had been double checking for his vineyard and the stock of his wines he had been providing for famous and exclusive bars all around the world. He was already well on his way to regaining the fortune that he'd forfeited, and hopefully, in a few years, his fortune would surpass the one his father had been able to accumulate and that was in Lysander's name now.

He had learned from Tonks that Hermione had not wanted to accept the money, but that his cousin and Potter had convinced her that it would eventually be Lysander's decision. Besides, the Malfoy fortune was his by right, Draco thought. He ran a hand through his pale, normal, hair and continued to pace, a glass of firewhiskey in his hand. The ring that he used to hide his true face was sitting on the corner of his desk, taunting him, and Draco found that he had begun to resent it because it was the face that was winning Hermione over. Not Draco Malfoy, but Kyle Delaney.

Aside from that, there was a gnawing feeling in his chest that was telling him that something was wrong. He didn't know what and in his effort to cool himself, he had perused the paper, but nothing of importance was shown on the moving pages. A tapping on his window alerted him to an owl delivering a letter, and Draco walked over to allow it in. The creature was unfamiliar, but he extended the letter and left without a sound.

If he was correct—and he rarely wasn't—that had been a St. Mungos owl. Draco frowned and opened the scrap of rolled parchment quickly. His worry increased to full blown dread when he saw Hermione's writing, stating that their date had to be cancelled because Lysander was in St. Mungos. Just the fact that she wasn't asking him to go to her placated him a little, since it meant that it wasn't something dangerous that had happened to the boy, but still, his paternal side wouldn't rest until he saw that the child was fine.

He stalked towards the floo until he remembered that he wasn't wearing his alternate face. Cursing himself for his stupidity, Draco grabbed his ring and pulled it on, feeling the vague magic that slid over his skin and transformed his features within seconds. Then he was gone in a flash of green flames.

Finding the floor and room had been easier than he thought, especially since he hadn't had to use his Malfoy influence. He supposed that news on him and War Hero Granger had spread and it was widely known that he was no longer a stranger in her life. With a sigh, Draco knocked on the door and opened it. He couldn't believe that the boy was alone, except for a medi-witch who was checking Lysander's vitals.

"May I come in?" he asked, instead of just intruding.

Lysander's eyes were open and a smile came over his little face. "I just woke up," he said drowsily.

Draco accepted the nod from the medi-witch and it surprised him that he had asked for something when a couple of years ago, he wouldn't have even addressed the woman and he would've barged right in. It made him proud to see that he _had_ changed. He stepped in and took a seat on the child's bed, frowning in worry. "What's wrong with him?"

"A case of Wizards Cold," said the woman, grabbing her chart and a tray with a vial that had a strange, green substance inside. "We're treating him, and he should be fine in a few days. The Healer in charge is speaking to his mother at this moment and Mr. Potter said that he needed to go find someone downstairs. Neither of them wanted to leave, but when they did, he was asleep," said the woman.

"I'll stay with him," Draco said seriously.

"He's going to be my new daddy," Lysander added from the bed, blinking slowly.

The medi-witch nodded and smiled at the bemused look on the young man's face. "I will let Ms. Granger know that you're here, she must be worried that he's alone," she said before stepping out.

Draco looked down at his son and touched the boy's forehead and cheeks to make sure that he wasn't burning in fever, despite having just been checked by a professional. His temperature was still higher than normal, and it would continue to be for the next day until the specialized potions began to make effect. "How are you feeling?" he asked gently, his heart aching in his chest when small hands tightened around one of his.

"My body hurts," the boy said with a frown. "And sometimes I feel really cold."

And if he used magic while in the state he was in, it could be deadly. That was why it was imperative for him to stay calm and sedated. Draco felt a frown come over his face. "Get some sleep. I'll be here to watch over you, okay?"

"Okay daddy," came the almost slurred reply as Lysander nodded and turned onto his side, bringing up his bear from where it had been hidden by the covers. His eyes slowly slipped closed as Draco ran his long fingers through silky chestnut strands of hair.

Draco brushed a hand through his own hair and couldn't help the feeling of dread that was still swirling around inside him at the thought of his son being sick or in any type of suffering. "If I had to, I'd give my life for you. But I'll settle for being here, always for you." He watched the rise and fall of Lysander's chest and sighed. "Imagine that, the great and evil Draco Malfoy offering his life for someone else," he said in a whisper. He wasn't his father, and he wasn't a man who had ever dreamed of the way his life had turned out. But he was a father now, and that meant thinking about someone other than himself, something that Lucius had never understood.

All Draco was sure of was that his mother would've loved the boy he had in front of him now. She had always been a sensitive woman, but he had never truly appreciated it when he'd had the chance, and now it was too late. He wouldn't make the same mistakes as his father. "Soon, boy, soon I'll be able to look at you from my true face. Your mother will probably hex me into oblivion. Typical Granger," and here Lysander's lips quirked into a smile that produced a smirk from Draco. "But I won't give up. I can promise you that."

The feel of cool wood pressed into the back of his neck made him freeze suddenly. "Who's there?" he asked, going for his wand.

"Don't move," muttered a low voice. "Stand up and slowly walk out."

Draco grit his teeth and looked at his son in alarm, hoping that the person behind him didn't have hurting his son in mind. Instead he nodded and slowly walked out, feeling the wand slide down his spine and towards his lower back. There wasn't much he could do, especially when he wasn't willing to risk his son, but as soon as he had a chance, he'd take down his attacker. They slowly walked out, pausing whenever someone passed by them in the hall, and still he couldn't see who was standing behind him.

They made a stop in front of a utility closet and the door was opened before he was shoved in. "Who the hell are you?!"

………

Harry had been surprised when Pansy had asked to visit Lysander. As far as he knew, she didn't even remotely like children, but her words had made him pause. _"There's something familiar about him, even in photos. I feel like I know him somehow."_

He had no doubt that she knew his nephew through the connection she'd had with Malfoy when they were children. The thought had been enough to make his stomach churn in annoyance. He had been reminded that Pansy and Malfoy had once upon a time been involved with each other, and it wasn't a thought that sat well with him anymore. He didn't think that it had anything to do with loving Pansy, but she was slowly sneaking past his defenses, and the shattered remains of his heart. It may have been against his will, but he wasn't doing anything to stop her.

Pansy had bought a big dragon plush in the gift shop by the main entrance of St. Mungos, and Harry watched her as she placed it over a table on the far corner of the room next to the boy's bed. "Why is he alone?" she asked with a frown, turning to look at Harry.

"Hermione must be talking with the Healers. Will you mind him for a few seconds? I'll go see if I can find Hermione," he said.

Pansy nodded and walked him out of the room, shortly returning. She sat down and watched the boy sleep for a few minutes, curiously taking in his relaxed features. She had that feeling again, the one that told her that she knew the boy, or at least a part of him. Could it be that he was… no, Pansy smiled ruefully to herself and shook her head. Draco and Granger had never gotten along, let alone for long enough to conceive a child.

A medi-witch stepped into the room to check over Lysander's vitals and Pansy took the moment to use the loo just a few doors down. She went about her business until she stood at the mirror and inspected herself. She would be lying if she said that the connection that Granger and Harry had together didn't make her a little antsy, but they'd had years to make something serious come out of it and they hadn't; that little fact placated her.

There was no love between them, both she and Harry knew, but the passion was knee-knocking and the fact that he held her after they were together was more telling than anything else he could've done. They had shared a few dinners at her home, but soon enough she would begin coaxing him into getting some fresh air in the city. She didn't want the attention from the media that would rain down on them, but Harry needed to have life breathed back into him. She honestly wanted to be the person to give him back something of what he had lost.

Rushing out of the bathroom in order to not leave her little charge unattended for too long, Pansy paused at the door when she realized that Lysander had more company. Despite herself, she stood there and eavesdropped after the boy called the man _daddy._ There was a long pause, and Pansy looked at Granger's new man—Kyle something—as he watched the child with something she couldn't quite understand. She'd seriously never seen a man so devoted to another woman's child, and she'd seen Blaise Zabini's mother go from one husband to another. None of those men had ever shown any attention to the son of the woman they were pursuing.

"_If I had to, I'd give my life for you. Imagine that, the great and evil Draco Malfoy offering his life for someone else."_

Pansy felt the blood drain from her face as she heard his words. No, no… _no_… that was not Draco Malfoy! Draco was dead, he had died on the battlefield, and there was a monument and a grave for him! Swallowing hard and regaining her Slytherin nature, she reached into her robes to pull out her wand, slowly approaching the man from behind. His next words made her falter.

"_Soon, boy, soon I'll be able to look at you from my true face. Your mother will probably hex me into oblivion. Typical Granger…" Another pause. "…but I won't give up. I can promise you that."_

She'd had enough, and her brain was tricking her into wondering if it was true that he was Malfoy. _No!_ she shouted inwardly, reaching up and pressing her wand to the back of his neck.

"Who's there?" he asked, going for his wand.

"Don't move," she muttered, feeling herself shake in rage and doubt. She had never been one to use violence; words and facial expressions to bring others down yes, but never actual violence, but she supposed now was a good time as any to start. "Stand up and slowly walk out."

The man stood, debating on what to do before he began to move towards the door. Pansy supposed that he didn't want to put the boy in any danger, but she would never bring herself to hurt a child. They passed many people, and she pasted a phony smile on her face to look less suspicious as she walked behind the tall man. She found a utility closet and opened it before shoving him inside.

"Who the hell are you?!" she yelled, nearly stabbing him in the throat with her wand.

Kyle stared at her with wide eyes. "Pansy?" he asked.

"I don't know you," she nearly snarled, trying not to let her nerves get too frazzled. "I heard you call yourself Draco Malfoy. Draco is dead!"

His expression didn't change at her accusation, but Pansy had always been aware of how well Draco could act, and his eyes… _with Draco's eyes_, her brain was practically screaming at her. "I think you misheard me," he said pleasantly.

"No I didn't," she said with conviction, glaring him down. The man—_Kyle_—just shifted slightly, staring right back at her. "If you don't want me to cause the biggest scandal you've ever seen, tell me the truth," she threatened in a low voice. "I heard you tell the child that soon you would be able to see him from your real face. _Who _are you?!"

"You do not want to get involved with me or my problems," Kyle said quietly, eyes on her wand. "Just walk out and forget what you heard."

Something was building, Pansy could tell and she wasn't about to just back down and leave this alone; she'd always been too damn stubborn for her own good, which was why she had gotten to Potter. "Should I alert the Ministry about you being someone you're not?" she asked hotly.

Kyle's gray eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "You don't know anything about what's happening. This is none of your concern," he snapped, losing his patience.

"Try me. Though we're not even friends, Granger means something to Potter and by default that means that I'll watch out for her and the boy too," Pansy said darkly.

The man let out a low chuckle and shook his head. "Turned into a bleeding heart have we? I never imagined that you were one of the many fawning over Potter. In school you hated him to death," he said in a familiar, drawling tone.

Pansy looked suspicious, and she couldn't quite place his voice. "I won't ask you again."

Draco sighed and nodded, figuring that it wouldn't hurt to come clean with a person he had cared for as much as Blaise during his childhood. It was about time he began to ease people into his return, and maybe Pans would help him when it came time to tell Hermione. "Promise me you won't overreact."

"You obviously don't know me," she said, sardonic.

He smirked. "That's precisely why I'm telling you not to," he said. Draco sighed and reached slowly for his ring, still worried that she would shoot a spell at him if he made any sudden movements. Sliding the silver off, he felt the magic race back into the ring and return his features to his pale hair and slightly more pointed chin. He looked up at Pansy and realized that her wand had begun to shake in her hand. "It's me, Pans."

She shook her head, anger evident in her eyes. "Draco is dead. Who are you?!"

"Ask me anything from our childhood, something only I would know," Draco said in a bored tone.

Pansy glared at him and thought hard, trying to keep her hand from shaking in disbelief. "Fine… you came over to our summer home in France. I had a doll in a box that I absolutely hated. What was her name?"

Draco sighed; he really did remember that much. "Her name was Viola, and your mother named her that because she thought it would be funny to have a Pansy and a Viola in the family. You were so mad that day that you went and broke your favorite doll, and then you were stuck with Viola. Eventually you loved her though, because she had been one of the last true gifts from your mother."

Pansy bit the inside of her cheek and shook her head as his words brought back memories of the resentment she had felt when her mother had decided that she would rather spend time socializing than with her. But all that he was saying were things that only he and his mother Narcissa had known. "You bastard," she spat. "You made everyone think you were dead!" she nearly screeched.

"If you'll stop with the dramatics, I can explain what's happened these last few years since my supposed death," Draco said quickly.

"Just answer me one thing. Granger's boy, is he yours?" Pansy asked seriously.

Draco let out a breath and then nodded. "Yes."

Pansy couldn't believe what she had just been told. Not only was Draco Malfoy alive, but he and Granger had a child together! "Tell me," she said, barely holding in her temper, and forgetting her usually suave demeanor.

Draco told her everything that had happened at the end of the war, being revived and forced out of the country as a punishment, how he found out about Lysander, and all he had done now to get close to Hermione and their son. "I'm going to tell her soon, but I want… I want…"

"You want her to love you first," Pansy said, quiet.

Draco said nothing, staring down at the ring in the palm of his hand. "The question now is: what will you do with this information? Will you help me, or will you tell Granger everything," he said coolly.

Pansy scoffed and shook her head. "Of course I won't go against you!" she said indignantly, her dark eyes flashing. "But you will owe me for keeping all of this from me and not contacting me before. Didn't you trust me enough? Draco we were friends!"

"I know," Draco replied. "But I couldn't trust anyone right off. The only people who know about me are Tonks, Blaise, and…" here he trailed off, wondering if he would be getting Potter into trouble by telling Pansy that the boy wonder had known too. "…and you," he finished, deciding to keep the information to himself for now. Let Potter tell her later, he thought inwardly.

Pansy lost her composure and kicked him right in the shin. As he grunted in pain and ungracefully jumped around on one foot, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Merlin, do I hate you! How can you live with yourself knowing that there are people out there mourning you?"

"You and I both know that even if I had come out and told her immediately after the Ministry gave me back my identity that she wouldn't have let me get close to her! She'd still feel betrayed for not knowing that I've been alive all this time. I needed her to get to know me, the real me and not the spoiled git with all of those bigoted ideas of blood purity. I couldn't do that with my real face, so I kept the one I had been forced to wear. I've been able to spend time with my son, and with her. Can you really blame me for not coming out and telling everyone everything?"

Pansy was quiet after his words, but she still had a dubious look on her face. "Don't you think it'll be worse when she finds out that you made her love a lie?"

Draco nodded. "I'm in too deep now," he muttered. "Will you help me or are you going to betray me by telling Granger?" he asked again.

"That's a low blow," Pansy hissed, seriously contemplating kicking him again; she was that angry. "You know that I wouldn't turn you over. But this is vicious, Draco. Tell her the truth before it's too late and you lose both Granger and her son." She turned for the door, but his voice stopped her.

"I'm _going_ to tell her," Draco said in a low voice. "I just… need more time to figure out how. I'm tired of hiding and running, and all I want is to live the rest of my life with her and my son."

Pansy felt tears threaten her and nearly scowled. She had never been one to easily cry, but after the war and after Draco's supposed death, she'd cried for everything she had lost. She knew that there were those who had lost far more than she had, but at least everything had served to make her a better person. She turned to look at him, a weak smile on her face. "I hope that you get all that you wish for Draco."

"What about you and Potter?" Draco asked, a smirk on his lips.

"I'm working on it," Pansy said offhandedly.

Draco realized in that moment that he would have to work on more than just wining his son and Hermione over. Pansy had always been by his side, though he'd treated her like dirt during his early adolescent years, but later on, she had always lent an ear or a shoulder. "Pans, how about dinner with me and Blaise one of these nights?"

Pansy sighed at the sound of his old nickname for her. "I'll have to check my schedule," she said before she was out the door.

Draco just stood there, worry and relief warring in his head. Everything was building, like a volcano, just waiting to explode. The feeling of foreboding was getting worse and he didn't know how much longer he would be able to take it.

………

A few days later, to Hermione's relief, Lysander was able to return home as healthy as ever. Hermione, Harry, and Kyle had taken turns to spend time watching over him while he recuperated, but thankfully nothing had gone amiss and the boy had recovered completely.

It was also a good thing that he was back to normal, since only a few days later the next hearing at the Wizengamot would take place to see if they would pass the War Crimes bill or repeal it. Sitting once more at the Ministry, awaiting the decision, Hermione found that she would have the strength to fight everything for her son, and if push came to shove, then at least he would have his aunt Tonks to take care of him.

Her hand tightened around Kyle's and he looked at her and nodded, silently conveying that he was by her side for anything she would need. Hermione smiled wanly. "We'll get away from here for a few days. I'll take you to a home I have in France," he whispered in a low voice.

"If we get out of this," Hermione said, nodding.

"And we'll celebrate tonight," Kyle said, voice like honey.

She felt her cheeks flush momentarily, and his smirk wasn't helping, but then their attention was called when the members of the Wizengamot began to file into the room and take their seats. The quiet murmurs began to die down as all of the attention moved towards the Minister.

"On the matter of the War Crimes Bill," the Minister started. "We have considered the evidence and testimonies provided carefully."

Hermione's free hand slipped into Harry's and she found that his palm was as damp as her own. "Merlin," she whispered, her heart hammering in her chest.

"With everyone who will be affected present, we will submit this issue to vote." The Minister waited for the few murmurs to die down before he continued. "Those in favor of passing the War Crimes Bill to punish those who committed murder, tortures, or and various other inhuman acts?"

Harry choked back a growl when he saw nearly half of the Wizengamot raise their hands. But it wasn't enough, and the Minister had the final say. "They can't pass it," he whispered to himself. "They can't." It would feel like them throwing away and spitting everything he had worked for and sacrificed to destroy Voldemort. All the deaths, all the suffering, his destroyed childhood…

"All those against the War Crimes Bill?"

The other half raised their hands as the Minister took note. "Taking into consideration the votes, and adding my own… it is the decision of the Wizengamot to… deny the bill on the basis of there not being enough evidence to pursue those who committed crimes during the war."

"This is an outrage!" Yelled someone from the other side of the crowd.

Head swiveled over to see former Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour standing from his seat. The Minister gave him a cold look. "And who are you to contest with what we have fairly voted for?"

"You're protecting our great savior, and I for one believe that it's not fair that he and his friends get a free pass for what they did. What gives them the right to get away with crimes while others have to pay?" the man continued to rant.

"Unless you wish to spend a month under the care of the Dementors in Azkaban, I suggest you leave this room immediately!" Boomed the Minister.

Everyone was staring at Scrimgeour, and all that could be heard was the quick scribbling of a Quick Quotes Quill and Rita Skeeter muttering under her breath excitedly. Then the man who had so rudely interrupted stood and walked out of the room, the door banging closed.

The Minister looked directly at Harry and Hermione. "There was no real proof that the accusations made in fact happened," he said. "But rest assured, that any crime, committed by anyone, no matter _who _they are will be punished accordingly."

He went on to explain a few other things, but Hermione and Harry didn't hear any of it. The relief was nearly palpable over the section they were sitting in, and if he could've, Harry would've jumped to his feet and twirled Hermione around. As it was, they truly did have to keep up a good image at the moment, be a bit more dignified with the result of the voting and the Wizengamot's final decision. Though he didn't miss the fact that nearly half of them had wanted him and Hermione to burn for what they had done before and during the war.

They'd been punished enough, with their losses, and their nightmares, and Harry knew that their actions would both affect him, Hermione, and all the others who had participated in the war for years to come. As the people began to file out, he watched as Malfoy pulled Hermione out the door, and Harry followed, not wanting to get pulled in by anyone from the papers or magazines just waiting to question them.

"I'm going to find my best bottle of wine so that we can celebrate. I'll see you at your flat?" Kyle asked Hermione.

Hermione nodded and wrapped her arms around him in a tight, brief hug and pecked him lightly on the lips before pulling back and walking off with Harry towards the floo. Once back in the safety of their home, she let out a loud cheer and threw her arms around Harry. "I thought for a moment that we were doomed," she whispered, tears choking her.

Harry shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder if we could've done things a different way," he whispered, his own eyes feeling awfully itchy.

She shook her head. "We'll never know, but we do deserve to be happy, Harry," Hermione assured him. "We've found people who accept us, broken pieces and all. We can't give up on that."

The gnawing guilt was back of hiding the truth on Malfoy from her, but Harry didn't get a chance to think of it long as Lysander ran in from their backyard, his babysitter following after him. There were truly other, more precious things to think about and appreciate now. Maybe it was time that he allowed himself a sliver of happiness and life, he thought inwardly, watching as Lysander ran right into Hermione's arms. He wanted a family, and he wanted to know what it was like to love a tiny piece of himself. But most of all, he wanted to let go of his guilt.

Green flames came to life again, and the woman he had allowed to get closer to him stepped through, dusting off her black coat and smiling demurely at him as he watched her. He didn't protest when her arms curled around him in a tight embrace, making his breath shudder out in relief and appreciation. "Thank you for being here," he murmured.

Pansy smiled wide and nodded. "We are going to celebrate this, and don't you dare say no. Come along and let's help Hermione in the kitchen," she said, following after the witch and her son. She stopped at the doorway after discarding her coat, scarf, and gloves, giving him an expectant look. "Are you coming?"

Harry let out a long breath and nodded. "Yes," he said, following after her. After the person who had come along to save him from himself.

……

As he slowly sauntered through the quiet halls of the ministry, Cormac McLaggen let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair, realizing that he was due for a haircut soon. It took seeing Hermione in the arms of that other guy to make him see that she was happy, and that though it burned incredibly to step aside, Hermione deserved to be happy. He had just always assumed that he would be the one to provide her that happiness. It hadn't been until he had cooled down after his blow-up regarding the paternity of her son that he had realized what a bit mistake he had made.

As always, his temper and cockiness had cost him dearly, and if he didn't change that, it would continue to interfere with his life. Turning a corner, Cormac stopped when he heard a pair of voices speaking in agitation about Potter and Hermione. He recognized them almost instantly and held back, out of view to listen.

"We need to find _something_ to use against them!" yelled Scrimgeour.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk out here in public," said Fudge.

"No. You find me something, anything. Look into their finances. I caught a rumor a few weeks ago that an exorbitant amount of galleons had transferred hands, so you get me names Fudge!"

"Fine," said the sullen voice of Fudge.

"And investigate that Kyle character. He seemed to have come out of thin air because there are no files on him here in England. I want to know who he is and what he's been doing. He can't be as pristine as he wants everyone to believe," Scrimgeour said, finally beginning to regain his composure. "What are you waiting for? Go!"

Cormac inched further into the darkness as the man nearly raced past his shadowed corner. He frowned to himself and wondered why the two former Ministers of Magic had it against both Hermione and Potter, and now by default that Kyle guy. He needed to tell Hermione as soon as possible, and maybe he would do a little investigation of his own. At least now he would have a good excuse to see her again, he realized, making his way towards the lifts.

…

…

…

…

…

…

Yay! I feel accomplished, even when I know that most of you are getting antsy for Draco to tell Hermione who he is. I promise that when he does, it'll be explosive, but we're slowly getting there. A few things still need to happen, and though this chapter was more HarryPansy, I can tell you now that the drama is coming, and we haven't heard the last of Cormac. I'm going to strive to not make him into the bad guy, and now I have a plan, so hopefully that'll happen. About the whole Wizengamot thing, I'm reaching here, because I really don't know how it works aside from what I saw in the _Order of the Phoenix_ film, and read in the books, but I have to say that I'm still rusty, since I haven't seen or read HP stuff in a while. If anything is inaccurate, let me know. I'll take any help you guys want to give me. Also, I barely noticed today that I've spelled Scrimgeour inaccurately for the last few chapters. Sorry!

Seriously, I want to thank everyone for being so patient with me, and please excuse the typos and grammar errors. I will go hunting for them soon. These last few days I've been reading a lot of multi-chaptered, completed DracoHermione fics that have rekindled my love for this pairing. Now, I can't make promises about the next update, but I will certainly try to get another one out soon. I have to jump from this ship to the FFVII one and back, always depending on what the muse wants. I just couldn't let the end of the year pass me by without updating, so if you read this, millions of thanks! Take care everyone and have a safe holiday!

Joey


End file.
